“We have Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our presidential candidate and Kashim Shettima as our vice-presidential candidate, and we are looking forward to the election in 2023.”
Politics
Northern Christian heavyweights launch offensive against Tinubu, Shettima
Opposition against the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress deepened on Friday as popular Christian members of the party vowed to mobilise voters against it in 2023.
The aggrieved Christian members said the decision of the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to pick a fellow Muslim from the northern part of the country as his running mate was an error that they would fight with their voter cards in February next year.
Some northern Christian leaders in the APC on Friday called on Nigerians to reject any ticket that was not mixed between Christians and Muslims during the 2023 elections.
According to them, since the Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidency is divisive, it must be rejected by all patriotic Nigerians.
They barred their minds during the APC Northern Christian Leaders’ Summit, saying the insinuation that northern Muslims would not support a Christian running mate to Tinubu was untrue and divisive.
Among the leaders, who spoke during the event, were a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; a former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung; and Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North).
Lawal, who was the chairman on the occasion, said many within and outside the APC had expressed shock and disbelief over the reaction to the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, adding that it was a grand conspiracy against northern Christians.
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The former SGF said, “Our opposition has some historical basis. There were times in the past when Christians produced deputy governors in Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna states. Now, it is wholly Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“It is worth noting that all these are happening in APC-controlled states. They are threatening to do likewise in Gombe, Kogi and Adamawa states.
“It is also now a recurring practice in the North whereby any Christian traditional ruler that dies is replaced with a Muslim prince, albeit from the ruling family even if the most qualified and preferred prince is a Christian. The recent case of Billiri Chiefdom in Gombe State is still fresh in our minds.
“Proof of its anti-Christian agenda is that our party itself has completely eliminated northern Christians from its NWC (National Working Committee) and NEC (National Executive Committee). All our protestations as party members have been completely ignored by the party leadership.
“But as members of the APC, we have the right to continue to express our indignation at these happenings and will not give up until we secure the justice that is due us.
“The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for the APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim VP candidate is balderdash and diversionary. This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.
“One might ask: why is the APC itself mute about our rejection of this Muslim-Muslim ticket? And why has none of the other perpetrators of this crisis reached out to Christians for a dialogue? Why are they instead hiring fake bishops and taking church groups to further embarrass the church? Why are they embarking on a vicious media war against CAN and the church instead of seeking reconciliation? Truly, things are not adding up.”
“Implied in this ticket is the insinuation that northern Muslims are not willing to vote for a ticket that has a Christian on it and on which they are not represented. It is our belief that northern Muslims would have seen the justice in a Muslim-Christian ticket and would have given it their overwhelming support had the party been inclined to do so.
“A corollary to this mindset is that Christians should also not vote for a ticket in which they are not accommodated. Unfortunately, this is the message we get loud and clear from this MM ticket. This is truly a wakeup call for all Nigerian Christians. We didn’t start this religious politics; the APC and its candidates did; so all of us should take note and act as appropriate.”
While advising his colleagues in the APC to spare them the sanctimonious lectures on competence and the cliché of the religion of the candidates do not matter, the ex-SGF added, “The truth is that the 2023 presidential election will be all about religion, and sadly, you started it; religion does matter in this context, so be ready for the consequences.
“It is important to reiterate that we Nigerian Christians want to live in peace and harmony with all practitioners of other religions. We want to enjoy social and economic developments like other parts of the world but without peace, justice and religious harmony, this is not possible.
“On our part, we neither seek to oppress nor dominate any one or any religion. But we will also resist any one trying to discriminate against us and our religion. We were not the ones that started this fight. The APC started it and must be ready to carry the cross it has created. Blaming Christians and heaping insults on CAN will take them nowhere.
“For, how do they expect Christians to keep silent when a northern state governor publicly stated that they pressured Tinubu to get a northern Muslim VP because they did not believe him to be a good Muslim? Is the VP going to be the national deputy Imam? How do they expect us to keep silent when another northern state governor goes to Osun State and urges them to vote for someone just because he is a Muslim? Was he there for the election campaign or dawah? What can be a better example of religion in politics than demonstrated by these governors?
“Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously and economically suppress and oppress the northern Christian. But we are up to the task. We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023.
“But while we are ready to battle this politics of exclusion and oppression, we are open to discussions with anyone who wants to engage with us in good faith. As I always do, I want to end with this quotation from Romans 8:31, ‘What then shall we say in response to these things. If God is for us, who can be against us?’ May God bless and reward all our collective efforts at seeking to live in peace with one another in Nigeria, our blessed country.”
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Dogara said with the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, Nigeria was going the way of Nazi Germany.
Dogara, who said the APC wanted to disintegrate Nigeria like the former USSR and Yugoslavia, added that the party looked like a “janjaweed” party.
According to him, the Nigeria of 2022 is not the Nigeria of 1993, adding that the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, had made a fatal error of judgment.
He also supported the position of other Christian leaders on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, with a call on Christians to seek alternative platforms in 2023.
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Truth must be told that anyone who is not bringing us together is consciously tearing us apart,” Dogara added.
Abbo said no northerner would fight his brother because he is a Muslim, adding that they were fighting injustice.
He called on Nigerians to reject every divisive tendency of individuals to divide the people.
‘They abandoned us’
In a separate interview with one of our correspondents, Lawal said neither the party nor its candidates had reached out to the northern Christians, adding that they were behaving as if they had won the election.
He said, “No, they have refused to reach out to us. They ignored us totally. They are behaving as if they have won the election already.
“We will show them. We will tell them that we are not useless. We will use our numerical strength to tell them who we are and how powerful the God we serve is.”
The ex-SGF said the fight against injustice would be total, adding that any act of injustice against anyone was against all.
“We will not fight with canes and muscles. We will fight against evil with prayers and action. We are not going to stop,” he added.
Omo-Agege’s aide
Barely a month after he dumped the APC over the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket, Daniel Bwala has announced that he has joined the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Special Adviser on Legal and Constitutional Matters to the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, announced his resignation on July 10.
While defending his position to quit the party, Bwala said his decision was based on “principles and conviction.”
In his reaction, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, stated that the party never engaged Bwala as a counsel, adding that Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq remained the legal adviser.
APC divided
In another development, it was learnt that the inability of the ruling party to constitute its presidential campaign council was due to the issue of religion.
Sources close to the party said the top hierarchy and its caucuses had not been able to agree on who should lead the campaign.
It was gathered that while others were of the opinion that religion should not be an issue, others argued that the issue was enough to divide the party.
A top member of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the APC leadership, its governors and Tinubu had yet to agree on the composition of the campaign council.
He said while Tinubu had ceded the power to appoint the director-general of the campaign council to the governors, the governors were divided over those being nominated to lead the campaign.
The source said, “Tinubu wants a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole. The governors have rejected that and he seems to have agreed to that.
“However, the governors have not been able to agree on whether the replacement to the former governor of Edo State should be the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, or his Plateau State counterpart, Simon Lalong.”
‘Campaign council ready’
When contacted, the Director of Media, Tinubu Campaign Train, Bayo Onanuga, said, “We are not going to comment on the matter.”
On whether Lalong was being considered as the director-general of the Tinubu Campaign Council, he said, “People should wait for us to release the names of those to be appointed to the campaign council. By next week, everything will be clear. By then, we will know who will be the DG and who will be the chairman. By next week, everything will be clear.”
Asked again to confirm if the campaign council would be announced next week, Onanuga said, “We are hoping that everything will be clear next week.”
Meanwhile, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said it was not correct that the ruling party had consistently sidelined Christians.
He stated, “The current Vice-President of Nigeria is not just a Christian, but a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. How has the party ignored Christians? This is APC’s second term of about eight years by the way.
“We have a southerner, who was elected the presidential candidate of APC. The PDP zoned their presidency to a northern Muslim. Why is that not the issue?
“In any event, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made a decision and we are hoping that our Christian brothers everywhere, whether in the North or in the South, will understand that what the APC has done is a decision made by a candidate and it is not meant to denigrate or in any way suggest that Christians are incapable.
Politics
Rhodes-Vivour Tackles Lagos Government Over Threat to Seal Residents’ Boreholes
Rhodes-Vivour Tackles Lagos Government Over Threat to Seal Residents’ Boreholes
The Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has criticised the state government over its threat to seal properties operating unauthorised boreholes, raising fresh concerns about access to water and the regulation of groundwater resources in the state.
The controversy followed a warning by the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) that property owners who drill boreholes or extract groundwater without the necessary permits risk having their facilities sealed and facing prosecution.
The commission said the enforcement measure was part of efforts to protect underground water resources, prevent contamination and ensure the sustainable management of groundwater across Lagos.
LASWARCO’s Executive Secretary, Oluwabukola Khadijah Adeyemo, explained that the agency had the statutory responsibility to regulate borehole drilling, groundwater extraction and water supply services in the state.
She said unauthorised groundwater extraction could pose environmental and public health risks, including contamination of underground water sources and land subsidence.
Adeyemo warned that the commission would take action against individuals and organisations operating boreholes without the required approval, including sealing affected facilities and prosecuting offenders.
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The commission also advised residents, businesses and property developers intending to drill boreholes to obtain the necessary permits before commencing operations.
It encouraged members of the public to report suspected cases of unauthorised borehole drilling and groundwater extraction as part of efforts to strengthen compliance with water regulations.
The agency provided 0816 878 2223 as its complaint hotline and directed residents seeking further information to its office at Block 19, third floor, Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
However, the enforcement warning has brought renewed attention to the dependence of many Lagos residents on privately owned boreholes for their daily water needs.
Across several communities, households and businesses rely on groundwater because public water supply is either unavailable, irregular or insufficient to meet their requirements.
This situation has raised questions about how the government intends to balance environmental protection and water regulation with residents’ need for affordable and reliable access to water.
While the government maintains that permits are necessary to protect groundwater resources and prevent environmental damage, the proposed enforcement has also drawn attention to the financial and practical implications of compliance for property owners.
The debate comes against the background of efforts by the Lagos State Government to regulate groundwater extraction and improve the management of water resources.
The state has maintained that borehole drilling and groundwater extraction must comply with existing environmental and water-sector regulations.
The latest controversy has consequently placed water access, borehole regulation and environmental protection at the centre of public discussion in Lagos.
Rhodes-Vivour’s criticism also gives the issue a political dimension as attention gradually shifts towards the 2027 Lagos governorship election.
Editorial note: The precise wording and specific arguments in Rhodes-Vivour’s reaction have not been independently established from the material available. His original statement should be checked before publication to ensure his position is accurately represented.
Rhodes-Vivour Tackles Lagos Government Over Threat to Seal Residents’ Boreholes
Politics
Sowore’s Ekiti Clash: How Argument Over Hunger, Tinubu’s Govt Triggered Fight — Source
Sowore’s Ekiti Clash: How Argument Over Hunger, Tinubu’s Govt Triggered Fight — Source
A heated disagreement over hunger, economic hardship and support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly triggered the confrontation between human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and a group of Tinubu supporters at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
A source familiar with the incident told THE WHISTLER that the disagreement began when Sowore challenged members of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) Door-to-Door supporters’ group over their continued support for the administration despite the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians.
According to the source, the argument escalated into a physical confrontation involving Sowore, members of his entourage and some of the president’s supporters.
The incident occurred on Friday, October 30, 2026, at Tawakalitu Restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti, shortly after Sowore appeared on MIDAS FM 90.5, where he granted a radio interview and criticised the Tinubu administration.
The source claimed that some members of the PBAT supporters’ group, wearing Tinubu-branded campaign shirts and caps, entered the restaurant while Sowore and his associates were having a meal.
Sowore reportedly questioned why they continued to support the president despite the economic hardship and rising cost of living in the country.
The disagreement allegedly became heated before degenerating into a physical confrontation, leaving Sowore and other persons injured.
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However, the account provided by the source differs from Sowore’s description of the incident. The activist had alleged that he and members of his team were attacked by armed men sponsored by the Ekiti State Government, with operational support from the Department of State Services (DSS).
In a post on his X account shortly after the incident, Sowore announced that he and his associates had been brutally attacked and injured by what he described as government-sponsored thugs.
He also alleged that DSS operatives had been trailing and harassing his team since their arrival in Ekiti State, claiming that they had threatened the management of an earlier restaurant where the group had eaten.
Sowore subsequently rejected the police description of the incident as an altercation, insisting that he and his associates were victims of an organised attack.
“There was no altercation! We were attacked!” he declared.
The Ekiti State Police Command, however, dismissed reports that Sowore had been kidnapped, explaining that its operatives responded to a distress call about a confrontation at the restaurant.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said officers rescued Sowore from the scene and took him to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti for medical attention.
The command initially described his injury as minor and disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, had ordered an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those involved.
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The police also urged members of the public to disregard unverified reports and allow investigators to establish what happened.
Meanwhile, the African Action Congress (AAC) expressed concern over the incident, calling on the Ekiti State Governor, the Inspector-General of Police and the state Commissioner of Police to ensure Sowore’s safety and bring those responsible to justice.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rex Elanu, warned that it could organise a mass protest at the Ekiti State Government House if the authorities failed to take appropriate action.
The party also described the incident as a threat to democratic participation and called for an investigation into the alleged involvement of government-linked individuals.
The Ekiti State Government denied any involvement in the confrontation, distancing itself from Sowore’s allegations and calling on the police to conduct a thorough investigation.
In a statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, on Saturday, October 31, the government said it had no connection with the incident and maintained that the circumstances should be established by the appropriate authorities.
The police subsequently announced the arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the incident. According to the command, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad arrested the suspects during a raid on their hideouts in the Atikankan area of Ado-Ekiti at about 10pm on Friday.
The suspects were identified as Joseph Tayo, 32; Olatunji Abayomi, 41; Isaac Amba, 22; Kehinde Ajigbana, 18; Tosin David, 18; Solomon Iyanu, 18; Ogunsola Ayomide, 21; Ojo Ayodeji, 22; Kayode Dada, 32; Segun Olatunji, 28; and Salami Emmanuel, 53.
Items recovered during the operation included two walkie-talkies, 13 mobile phones, seven ATM cards, two vehicle keys, a flash drive, a 5G MTN Wi-Fi device, identity cards, eight international passports and three complimentary cards.
Other recovered items included substances suspected to be Indian hemp and Colorado, two cannabis crushers, a pack of Rizla, two suspected criminal charms, a gas lighter and ₦250.
The police said the suspects remained in custody as investigations continued to determine their individual roles, establish possible connections with the confrontation and identify other persons who might have participated in the incident.
The command also confirmed that all victims, including Sowore, had received medical attention and were treated and discharged from the hospital.
Commissioner of Police Falade Adegoroye Michael assured that anyone found culpable would be brought to justice, irrespective of political affiliation.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress and publisher of Sahara Reporters, is a prominent critic of Tinubu’s administration and has repeatedly challenged the government’s economic policies, particularly its handling of inflation, fuel prices and the rising cost of living.
The confrontation comes amid renewed political debate over hunger and poverty following Tinubu’s recent criticism of opposition politicians for blaming his administration for the country’s economic difficulties.
At his October 24 campaign rally in Kaduna, Tinubu accused opposition politicians of creating the hunger and poverty they now criticise his government over.
“They created the hunger. They created the poverty. We are trying to eradicate it,” the president said.
His remarks generated reactions from opposition figures, who accused him of shifting responsibility for the economic hardship confronting Nigerians.
Although an unnamed source has linked the Ekiti confrontation to an argument over hunger and support for Tinubu, the police have yet to publicly establish who initiated the physical violence or independently confirm that the political disagreement triggered the clash.
The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the roles, if any, played by the individuals arrested.
Sowore’s Ekiti Clash: How Argument Over Hunger, Tinubu’s Govt Triggered Fight — Source
Politics
2027: INEC Rejects Adebutu, Gwarzo, Clears Pantami as Ogun, Kano Opposition Parties Face Setback
2027: INEC Rejects Adebutu, Gwarzo, Clears Pantami as Ogun, Kano Opposition Parties Face Setback
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dealt a major blow to opposition parties in Ogun and Kano states after rejecting petitions seeking the inclusion of their governorship candidates in the final list for the 2027 elections.
The affected politicians are former Ogun State governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Kano State Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
However, in a significant development, the electoral commission has cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, to contest the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State on the platform of the PDP.
The decisions followed INEC’s review of complaints and petitions submitted by political parties and candidates whose names were missing from the commission’s initial final list of candidates published on October 10, 2026.
The development has intensified political uncertainty for the affected opposition parties as preparations gather momentum ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
According to reports, INEC rejected Adebutu’s petition challenging his exclusion from the list, maintaining that his name was not contained in the original list of candidates submitted by the PDP to the commission.
An INEC source reportedly explained that the commission could not include Adebutu because his name was absent from the list initially submitted by his political party.
Gwarzo’s situation is also complicated by a court order restraining INEC from publishing his name. The electoral commission reportedly maintained that his clearance was affected by an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court.
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Although reports indicate that Gwarzo’s candidacy received favourable consideration during the review process, his inclusion remains subject to the outcome of the pending court proceedings.
Pantami, on the other hand, secured a major breakthrough after INEC accepted his petition and cleared him to contest the Gombe governorship election.
The former minister had earlier been omitted from the commission’s October 10 list despite emerging as the PDP’s governorship candidate following a court-ordered rerun primary conducted on September 29.
His emergence had generated controversy following legal questions surrounding compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, particularly the submission of political parties’ membership registers.
INEC’s decisions followed a review exercise involving petitions from political parties challenging the omission of their candidates and other nomination-related issues.
The commission had explained that it examined the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions before deciding which petitions merited approval and which should be rejected.
The controversy is connected to the September 24, 2026 Supreme Court judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 requiring political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.
The judgment has raised serious questions about the eligibility of candidates whose nominations may have been affected by alleged irregularities in party membership registration and primary processes.
For the PDP, the rejection of Adebutu’s petition represents another challenge in its efforts to maintain a strong presence in Ogun State, while Pantami’s clearance offers the party some relief in Gombe.
The NDC, meanwhile, faces uncertainty over its governorship ticket in Kano as Gwarzo’s legal battle continues.
INEC is expected to reflect the approved changes in its updated list of candidates, while the final determination of any candidacy affected by pending litigation will depend on the outcome of the relevant court proceedings.
The developments underscore the growing legal and political battles surrounding the 2027 elections, with the eligibility of prominent candidates already becoming a major issue months before voters head to the polls.
2027: INEC Rejects Adebutu, Gwarzo, Clears Pantami as Ogun, Kano Opposition Parties Face Setback
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