Politics
2023 Presidency: Tinibu, Atiku warm up, as Rep warns voters
As Nigeria gradually draws close 2023, the race for who becomes the country’s next president is fast becoming the major topic within the country’s political space.
Two major political personalities seem to be on the lips of Nigerians – Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and ex- Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
Atiku started vying for the presidency right from the days of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in which, the late MKO Abiola defeated him to emerge as the presidential candidate and eventual winner in 1992, but the election was annulled.
Despite his failure to emerge president, Atiku rose to become the Vice President to former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and they were in charge for two terms. After leaving office, the Turaki Adamawa has continued to push for the actualization of his presidential ambition without success.
Atiku who lost to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 is believed to be nursing the ambition of running for the presidency again in 2023. However, he is yet to declare his intentions but his supporters are already preparing the ground with campaign posters being sighted in some states.
Similarly, Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is believed to be “eyeing” the highest political seat in Nigeria.
Tinubu, known for his human capacity development and political sagacity is believed to be the best candidate to succeed Buhari in 2023. Tinubu’s political tutelage has produced people like former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola who is the current Minister of Works and Housing; Tunde Fowler, former boss of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, among others. In some quarters, it’s believed that Buhari won’t have emerged as president if not for the influence of “Asiwaju.”
To this end, the South West Agenda for Asiwaju, SWAGA, had boasted that the former Lagos State governor already has 12 to 13 million votes, ahead of the presidential election.
A chieftain of SWAGA, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye said Tinubu would replicate Buhari’s 2025 feat, when he got 12 million votes from the North.
Adeyeye pointed out that the entire Southwest would put their differences, both politically and traditionally aside and ensure that Asiwaju as he is popularly called emerges Nigeria’s next president.
However, a member of the House of Representatives, Shina Peller, has cautioned Nigerians against picking their next president on the basis of personality traits.
Peller, a member of the ruling APC said Nigerians should rather pick their next president on the basis of a strong institution rather than personality.
He urged Nigerians to put in place a strong institution now from which the country’s leader would be picked rather than relying on personalities.
Peller made the remark while reacting to a question on Tinubu’s aspiration.
In an Instagram interview with Officialsamolatunji 1, Peller said, “We need to build an institution now, we do not need to take any single person and be saying we want to now rally round that person. Let us form an institution, let us identify a criteria and let us see who meets up with the criteria.
“There is no institution that has set up the criteria yet. If the criteria says the next president should be christian, is Asiwaju a christian?
He noted that relying on personalities to save Nigeria was a mistake, adding that the next president should be elected through institutions capable of ensuring the competency of the individuals.
“We have made the mistake two times. There was a time in Nigeria when President Obasanjo was brought from prison and everybody was saying he is the best person that could do this and we started to run around him. The Same thing happened to President Buhari. Everybody was saying Muhammadu Buhari is a saint, he is not corrupt and then everyone starts to run around him, I believe this must stop,” Peller said.
Also, a chieftain of the PDP, who wished not to be named said in reality, Nigeria’s next president should be more of competence not popularity.
He noted that Nigerians would keep making mistakes for relying on popularity in deciding the country’s president.
“We need to stop this thing of popularity in picking out president. We did with Obasanjo, the same was repeated with Buhari. They said Buhari would turn Nigeria around because he was a straight forward person, but look at what we are experiencing today. His government is the most biased and sectional which has destroyed Nigeria. We need to do better in 2023,” he said.
DAILY POST.
In the now-controversial post shared on his social media page, Osborne wrote: “In a sane clime president Bola Ahmed Tinubu would’ve respectfully and honourably resigned. I’m of APC but truth be told.”
The comment quickly generated reactions online before the Akwa Ibom State Government moved to terminate his appointment.
In a letter dated June 2, 2026, the Office of the Political Adviser to the Governor announced his immediate disengagement.
The termination letter, signed by the Political Adviser to the Governor, Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh, stated that Osborne Ubong Okon had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.Politics
According to the letter, the decision was taken over actions the office described as disloyal.
“You are hereby relieved of your engagement as a Media Aide to the Political Adviser to His Excellency the Governor, with immediate effect and from today, 2nd June 2026,” the memo read.
The letter further cited “actions bordering on disloyalty” and the need to keep the office “purified” as reasons for the dismissal.
The office also issued a warning to members of the public and government officials regarding future dealings with the former aide.
“Any person having dealings with the above-mentioned former Media Aide in relation to this office of his former engagement does so on his/her own peril,” the statement added.
The development has sparked fresh conversations about the limits of political expression for government appointees and the expectations of loyalty within public service, particularly when comments are directed at the presidency.
Neither Osborne nor the Presidency had publicly responded to the development as of the time of filing this report.
The decision was taken during plenary on Tuesday at the Assembly complex in Dutse, the state capital, as the party continues to deal with the fallout from recent primaries.
The action comes amid a wave of suspensions across Jigawa APC following the recently conducted primary election.
Several special advisers and special assistants have already been suspended statewide over alleged anti-party activities from state level down to local government level.
Maigari, who doubles as the councillor representing Auyo Ward, was suspended after the House considered a motion by the Majority Leader, Lawan Dansure.
The motion sought disciplinary action against the lawmaker for conduct deemed harmful to party cohesion.
Moving the motion during the Assembly’s plenary session on Tuesday, Dansure urged members to support the suspension.
He said the House must act to protect the integrity of the ruling party ahead of 2027.
According to him, the actions of the Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
“His actions are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress,” Dansure told the House.
He argued that anti-party conduct at the grassroots level could undermine APC’s performance in future elections.
He said the House could not fold its arms while party discipline was being tested.
“Hon. Haruna Maigari is hereby suspended as Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council over alleged anti-party activities,” Dangyatin announced during plenary.
The Speaker also said the House remains committed to party discipline at all levels of governance in the state.
Dangyatin then constituted an investigative committee to look into the matter and report back within two weeks.
“The committee is expected to establish facts and recommend further action based on its findings,” he said.
The Speaker also directed the suspended lawmaker to hand over all official documents in his possession to the Deputy Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council.
He said the handover must be done immediately to ensure continuity of council business.
Meanwhile, the House also received a formal notification from Governor Umar Namadi regarding an official trip.
“The governor is billed to attend a two-day West African Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, Ghana,” the Speaker said during the plenary session of the Assembly.
Dangyatin, who explained that the governor’s foreign engagement will hold between June 2 and June 3, 2026, added that “the governor’s participation is aimed at attracting investment to Jigawa’s rice value chain.”
By Chinedu Sabastine
Mr. Samson Chukwu Nnamani has declared that he remains the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 election.
Nnamani made this known on Friday during a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Enugu.
Reacting to allegations that he was suspended from the party before the PDP governorship primary election, Nnamani dismissed the claim, questioning how a supposedly suspended aspirant could participate in the exercise and secure votes.
“The purported claim that I was suspended is very funny. If I was suspended as they claim, how can they attribute votes for me during their kangaroo primary,” Nnamani questioned.
Represented by his Media Director, Dr. Buchi Nnaji, the PDP chieftain said his authenticity derives from the present recognition of the Abdulrahman-led faction of the PDP by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of which he is a member.
The clarification followed the emergence of multiple claimants to the PDP governorship ticket in Enugu State.
Nnamani insisted that the party was no longer factionalised following INEC’s recognition of the Abdulrahman-led PDP leadership, noting that the panel which declared him winner where sent from their headquaters, Abuja.
Nnamani expressed gratitude to PDP leaders and supporters whom he said turned out massively on Sunday, May 24, 2026, to elect him as the party’s governorship candidate.
He pledged to reposition Enugu State through infrastructure development, job creation and people-oriented policies.
“As the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Enugu State, I remain committed to the ideals of good governance, inclusive leadership, economic development, youth empowerment, quality education, improved healthcare and enhanced security for all residents,” he said.
He added that his aspiration was to build “a greater Enugu State where opportunities abound for every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, religion or social status.”
According to him, his administration would prioritise infrastructure development, industrialisation, support for small businesses and welfare programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.
“We shall also review and remove policies and practices that are truncating the wellbeing, economic survival and social advancement of the citizens,” he stated.
Nnamani further called on stakeholders, party faithful, youths, women, traditional rulers and the people of Enugu State to join hands in building “a united, peaceful and progressive state.”
“Together, we can achieve the Enugu of our dreams,” he added.
The Presidency has reacted following the circulation of an alleged WhatsApp voice note in which President Bola Tinubu reportedly claims he begged opposition figure Peter Obi to step down ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The reaction came on Wednesday from Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President.
Onanuga condemned the audio file, labeling it a fabrication and called for legal action against popular social media critic VeryDarkMan who shared it.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform.,” Onanuga tweeted.
In the viral video, VeryDarkMan used the alleged leaked audio to urge Nigerians to vote against President Tinubu’s reelection bid in the upcoming 2027 polls.
Recall that just days ago, on Saturday, May 23, 2026, President Tinubu secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a landslide nationwide direct primary election.
During that contest, Tinubu faced a lone challenger, Edo State businessman and APC chieftain Stanley Osifo. The President won with 10,999,162 votes from the 12,643,306 registered party members, while Osifo secured 16,503 votes.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 election, is widely expected to fly the flag for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). Both Obi and Tinubu hail from the southern region of Nigeria and are set to face last year’s runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to lead the ticket for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyichukwuma Odii, has accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of running the state like a personal family business.
Odii made the remark shortly after emerging as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election following the party’s primary election conducted across the 13 local government areas of the state.
Speaking to party supporters in Abakaliki, Odii said the 2027 election would be about rescuing Ebonyi from poor governance and restoring economic growth and public welfare.
“Ebonyi can never be consumed. Ebonyi can never be conquered. Ebonyi can never become a personal family business, and we are here for the rescue of our dear state,” he stated.
The PDP flag bearer pledged to improve the welfare of civil servants and teachers while promising policies aimed at reviving the state’s economy.
Odii also dismissed fears over political opposition ahead of the election, insisting that his focus remained the development and progress of Ebonyi State.
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