Category: News

 

Former Kogi senator, Dino Melaye, has expressed regret for previously backing the All Progressives Congress, describing his past support as a mistake.

 

He also expressed confidence in the African Democratic Congress to present a strong contender capable of unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

 

Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Friday, Melaye acknowledged his past alignment with the ruling party but said he had since turned a new leaf.

 

“Once I was blind, now I can see. I regret in totality.

 

“Just like you confess your sins daily in the Lord’s prayer, I ask for forgiveness.

 

“Anyone who has moved with the devil, anyone who has aligned with an unholy tendency, should regret it,” the former lawmaker said.

 

Melaye slammed the APC administration for worsening socio-economic conditions, saying hunger and poverty have reached dangerous levels across Nigeria.

 

“You don’t need a prophet to tell you what is happening in this country. It is visible even to the blind and audible to the deaf.

 

“The hunger in the land is shattered. People are dying of malnutrition in rural communities.

“Take a trip today to your village and just announce that you want to share two bags of rice.

 

“If you are not careful, there will be dead casualties from the struggle to get something,” he said.

 

Turning to 2027 politics, Melaye said the ADC was focused on building a stable party platform that would produce a credible presidential candidate to defeat Tinubu.

 

“Especially those of us in the ADC, we need to create a comfortable, stable platform.

 

“I believe that platform will produce a candidate that will unseat President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in 2027,” he said.

When asked if he would support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Melaye declined to endorse any aspirant, saying his focus was on strengthening the party first.

 

“I will not be talking about a presidential candidate or preference for anybody until we get the party completely stabilised and organise a transparently honest convention,” he said.

 

Although Atiku has not officially declared interest in the 2027 race, Melaye praised his ongoing political efforts.

 

“What Atiku is doing is rescuing this country, bringing together men of honour and valour to correct and palliate the satanic manifestation of the APC,” Melaye added.

 

Former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and ex-Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, has said that the political strategy and rhetoric used by Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, during the 2023 general election will not be effective in 2027.

 

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Olujimi dismissed the possibility of Obi mounting a serious challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

 

“The rhetoric of the last election will not work again, except he comes with another gimmick. And you see, this (Tinubu) is a politician, a man who knows the terrain well,” she said.

 

Olujimi also took a swipe at former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, accusing him of destroying the Peoples Democratic Party in the state through what she described as autocratic leadership.

“Ayo Fayose killed the PDP in Ekiti. He alienated those who built the party, imposed candidates against popular will, and created factions that led to our repeated failures at the polls,” she said.

She noted that Fayose’s style of leadership alienated key stakeholders and sparked internal crises that weakened the party’s structure and performance in elections.

 

According to her, efforts by party loyalists to reconcile and rebuild the PDP in Ekiti were repeatedly undermined by Fayose’s “high-handedness and divisive politics,” making unity within the party nearly impossible.

 

“The PDP had a real opportunity to remain strong in Ekiti, but the selfish ambitions of one individual destroyed that chance,” she lamented.

 

Olujimi, who recently stepped aside from the party, added that the PDP’s failure to conduct transparent internal processes further contributed to the defection of loyal members and the erosion of public confidence in the party.

 

 

A former media aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, has said that Buhari’s frequent medical trips abroad were a matter of personal preference and not a dismissal of Nigeria’s healthcare system.

 

Shehu made this clarification during an appearance on Channels Television’s “Inside Sources” program on Saturday.

 

His comments were a direct response to remarks made by Femi Adesina, another of Buhari’s former spokespersons.

 

Adesina had previously suggested that Buhari “could have died a long time ago” if he had relied solely on Nigerian hospitals, citing a perceived lack of expertise within the country.

 

However, Shehu contradicted Adesina’s view, asserting that Buhari remained under the care of Nigerian doctors throughout his presidency, implying that the foreign trips were not due to a lack of local medical competence.

 

Shehu said, “I think it is wrong to assume that he fenced himself off from the Nigerian medical system.

 

“He had a Nigerian doctor,  a chief personal physician and a state house clinic, also led by a medical consultant, a distinguished doctor of many years of practice.”

 

He emphasised that the president’s medical team was always available to meet his immediate health needs.

“In terms of the immediacy of his own medical needs, they were always present to administer to his own needs,” Shehu added.

 

While acknowledging Buhari’s consistent visits abroad for treatment, Shehu said this was due to the president’s longstanding medical relationship overseas.

 

“As for his attachment to his past practice abroad for his medicals, he had an attachment to that.

 

“It was not that he was disrespectful of Nigeria’s medical practice or that he didn’t believe,” he said.

 

Shehu also highlighted the presence of Nigerian-trained doctors working globally, noting that their competence is recognised worldwide.

 

“For most people who also travel abroad and they need to see doctors — I have experienced this in America — you go into the office of the doctor and you find that it’s a Nigerian surgeon, it’s a Nigerian doctor,” he noted.

President Muhammadu Buhari died on July 13 in a London clinic after a prolonged illness.

 

He was buried at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, on July 15.

 

 

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom on Saturday commended President Bola Tinubu for extending the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer initiative to over 27,000 vulnerable residents of the state.

 

A statement issued by the governor’s aide on entrepreneurship development, Meflyn Anwana in Abuja disclosed that each beneficiary received N75,000 as part of the programme aimed at alleviating poverty and mitigating economic hardship.

 

Eno described the gesture as a timely intervention that aligns with his administration’s inclusive governance and humanitarian vision.

 

Speaking at the flag-off of the programme held at the Women Development Centre in Uyo, Eno, represented by the Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Mrs. Helen Obareki, praised the President for prioritising the welfare of the poor and ensuring that his people are not left behind in the federal government’s social investment drive.

 

The statement partly read, “Through the Renewed Hope Agenda initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over 27,000 Akwa Ibom people received a conditional cash transfer of ₦75,000 earlier today.

 

“This initiative, strategically designed to lift the poorest of the poor out of poverty and reduce economic hardship, is a social investment that aligns with the humanitarian model in Akwa Ibom State.

“His Excellency reaffirmed his commitment to partnering with the Federal Government to support vulnerable citizens, particularly through the implementation of the ARISE Agenda.”

 

The statement further highlighted that since assuming office in May 2023, Eno’s administration has placed a strong emphasis on social welfare and embedding humanitarian responses into state policy with the creation of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

 

“The state has delivered 205 homes, provided monthly stipends to 600 elderly persons, and facilitated health insurance coverage for 1,287 senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

 

“The governor also awarded educational grants to 243 students with disabilities, supported MSMEs with equipment and funds, and empowered youths with ₦50,000 grants.

 

“Our policies are not just about giving food or cash to people but about restoring dignity, driving economic empowerment, and building a state where no one is left behind,” Eno said.