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Stop blackmailing judiciary, Presidency tells Atiku, PDP
Stop blackmailing judiciary, Presidency tells Atiku, PDP
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has called on the PDP and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, its presidential candidate, to stop their campaigns of calumny and blackmail against the judiciary.
Onanuga made the call in a statement on Monday in Abuja while reacting to Atiku’s recent allegations against the country’s judiciary.
“In separate statements, the PDP and the spokesman of Atiku Abubakar, its defeated presidential candidate in the Feb. 25 presidential election, threw caution to the winds.
“They assaulted the integrity of the judiciary and made wild and libellous allegations against President Bola Tinubu.
“In the wake of the poor run of some elected governors of the party at the appeal court, the PDP and former vice-president and his spokesman have become overtly desperate to hang their woes on President Tinubu and the judiciary, an important arm of government in Nigeria.”
He added that in blaming others, Atiku and his party failed to demonstrate whether they had done any soul-searching before going public with their weighty, specious and reckless allegations.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the malicious allegations by the PDP and its candidate that Tinubu, while he was Governor of Lagos State, silenced the opposition and corrupted the judiciary.
He also asked the public to disregard the allegation that Tinubu was planning to foist a one-party state on the country by appointing loyalists as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
Onanuga stressed that Tinubu was a democrat to the core who had never interfered with the judgment of the judiciary.
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“We had witnessed how under his watch, the PDP governor in Osun defeated the APC at the Supreme Court.
“Similarly, the PDP governor in Bauchi also won his case in the Appeal Court, beating the APC.
“President Tinubu is also not planning to impose a one-party state as Atiku has serially alleged and his party and spokesman have now parroted.
“These allegations are deliberately aimed at unnecessarily heating up the polity and causing disenchantment in our country. They exist only in the imagination of the PDP and the former Vice-President,” Onanuga said.
He added that unlike Atiku Abubakar, President Tinubu’s record as a democrat par excellence and a strong advocate of the rule of law had been globally acknowledged.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu’s record of service as governor, which witnessed giant strides in various facets, is responsible for the dominance of his political structure in Lagos State and not by any undemocratic conduct.
“In contrast, it is on record that Atiku Abubakar recently confessed about the electoral heist his party executed in the South-West in 2003, which Tinubu survived out of the six governors of the defunct Alliance for Democracy.
“Atiku and PDP are now crying wolf over the Appeal Court rulings on governorship polls in Plateau, Zamfara and Nasarawa States.
“We hasten to ask the former vice-president where he was in 2019 when the court ruled against the APC in Zamfara and awarded all the positions won by the APC to PDP,” he said.
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Onanuga wondered where Atiku was, also in 2019, when in Rivers, the court stopped APC from fielding any candidate in both the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
He further wondered where Atiku and the PDP were in 2019 when on the eve of the swearing-in of Bayelsa Governor-elect David Lyon, the Supreme Court handed the victory of the APC to the candidate of the PDP, Gov. Douye Diri.
“Atiku and PDP then savoured all these court-handed trophies as sweet victories for PDP and celebrated the courts as protectors of democracy.
“Now that the same courts are annulling PDP victories, based on the blatant violations of the law by the lawless party, the party is mudslinging the judiciary and President Tinubu.
“We once again implore Atiku and PDP to stop their campaigns of calumny and blackmail against the judiciary and the honourable judges and justices.
“Judgments are based on law and evidence. In election petition cases, they are based on the Electoral Act and the Constitution, not on sentiments and emotions,” Onanuga stressed.
He added that it was irresponsible and a disservice to our country for the opposition, after failing to observe the letters and spirits of the law, to now turn around to tear down an important arm of government.
Stop blackmailing judiciary, Presidency tells Atiku, PDP
(NAN)
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News
Court remands alleged ‘fake PFIPC DG’ Adeyemi in Kuje over forgery
Court remands alleged ‘fake PFIPC DG’ Adeyemi in Kuje over forgery
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the remand of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, at the Kuje Correctional Centre over alleged forgery.
Justice Muhammed Umar reportedly made the order on Wednesday after Adeyemi was arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery.
Adeyemi pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court also fixed October 12, 2026, for the hearing of his bail application and directed that the case be given accelerated hearing.
One of the allegations against Adeyemi relates to the alleged forgery of presidential letterhead paper on March 8, 2024.
He was also accused of allegedly forging a request for collaboration with the Ministry of the Area Councils, as well as documents requesting land allocation and office accommodation across the 36 states of the federation.
The documents were allegedly presented as having emanated from the State House in Abuja.
The case is connected to the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an organisation the Federal Government has said was never established as a government agency.
The Presidency had earlier disowned the organisation and warned members of the public and foreign missions against dealing with Adeyemi on the basis of his alleged claim to have been appointed by the Presidency.
The government subsequently said investigations had established that the purported agency was fictitious and alleged that Adeyemi used forged appointment letters and other government documents to present himself as a presidential appointee.
The authorities further alleged that documents associated with the purported organisation were used to seek official recognition and diplomatic assistance.
The controversy also attracted the attention of the House of Representatives, which investigated the activities of the organisation and the circumstances surrounding Adeyemi’s alleged appointment.
During the investigation, lawmakers were told that the appointment letter allegedly presented by Adeyemi had been confirmed to be fake by relevant government authorities.
The case has also raised questions over how the purported organisation was able to operate and obtain correspondence with some government institutions before the Presidency publicly disowned it.
Adeyemi, however, has denied the allegations against him and previously made counter-allegations concerning the circumstances surrounding his purported appointment. He has also questioned references to the PFIPC in government documents.
Those claims remain part of the wider controversy and have yet to be determined by the court.
With the latest order, Adeyemi will remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending further proceedings.
His bail application is expected to come up on October 12, 2026.
The allegations against him remain unproven until determined by the court.
Court remands alleged ‘fake PFIPC DG’ Adeyemi in Kuje over forgery
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News
FG Opens Nationwide Youth Registration, Targets Nigerians Aged 15–35
FG Opens Nationwide Youth Registration, Targets Nigerians Aged 15–35
The Federal Government has commenced nationwide registration of Nigerians aged 15 to 35 under the National Youth Data Bank (NYDB), a new initiative designed to build a reliable database of young people and support access to jobs, skills training, internships, entrepreneurship and other opportunities.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, announced the commencement of the exercise as the government launched the National Youth Data Bank, saying accurate youth data would help improve the planning, targeting and delivery of government programmes.
The NYDB is designed to capture information on young Nigerians, including their education, skills, employment, entrepreneurship and other demographic characteristics. The official platform says the database is intended to provide a centralised and continuously updated picture of Nigeria’s youth population.
The government said the initiative is not an electoral registration exercise but a youth development programme aimed at improving how government identifies young people and connects them with relevant opportunities.
The registration covers young Nigerians in different sectors and settings, including those in schools, the informal sector, agriculture, sports, creative industries and technology.
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A key part of the exercise is the establishment of approved NYDB registration centres or cluster points. According to the official NYDB platform, young Nigerians can register at approved locations within their state, Local Government Area (LGA), school or other specially designated locations.
This means that not every school, LGA office or public facility is automatically a registration centre. Applicants are expected to use approved NYDB cluster points, where trained registration personnel will guide them through the process.
The exercise is being extended across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with the programme designed to reach young people in rural and underserved communities as well as those in urban areas.
The registration process begins with a visit to an approved NYDB cluster point, followed by an eligibility check and the creation of a youth profile. Participants are then required to confirm the information provided before completing the registration.
The 15 to 35 age bracket is the target population for the data-bank exercise. The database is expected to be updated continuously to maintain current information on eligible young Nigerians.
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development says the information gathered will help government understand where young people are located, what qualifications and skills they have, whether they are employed or seeking opportunities, and what forms of support may be required.
The NYDB platform identifies education, skills, employment, entrepreneurship, civic participation and health among the key areas of information being developed to strengthen youth-focused planning and interventions.
The initiative is also expected to improve the ability of government and authorised partners to identify young people who may be missing from existing datasets, particularly those in rural communities and underserved groups.
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has separately announced plans for a National Youth Confab 2026, scheduled to begin in October, with participation expected from young Nigerians across the country’s 360 federal constituencies.
For Nigerians within the 15–35 age bracket, the government is therefore encouraging participation through the approved NYDB registration centres as the nationwide exercise expands.
FG Opens Nationwide Youth Registration, Targets Nigerians Aged 15–35
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News
Tinubu Returns After 30 Days in Europe, Says ‘I’m Healthy and Ready to Work’
Tinubu Returns After 30 Days in Europe, Says ‘I’m Healthy and Ready to Work’
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned to Nigeria after spending about 30 days in Europe, declaring that he is healthy, sound and ready to work after his extended working vacation.
Tinubu arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 6:22pm on Tuesday after departing Paris, France, where he spent the final part of his trip.
Speaking briefly after his arrival, the President said he had enjoyed his time abroad and dismissed concerns about his health.
“I enjoyed myself,” Tinubu said when asked about his trip.
Asked whether he was ready to resume work, he replied: “Ready to kick. Ready to work. There’s nothing wrong.” He also described himself as “healthy, sound and ready to go.”
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for what was initially announced as a three-week working vacation. He spent time in London before travelling to Paris, with the Presidency later announcing an extension of his stay.
During the European trip, Tinubu maintained contact with Nigerian officials and continued to receive updates on government affairs, according to the Presidency.
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While in Paris, he held a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace and met French businessman Vincent Bolloré and executives of the Bolloré Group.
He also witnessed the signing of an agreement involving the Ogun State Government and DP World for the proposed development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and Blue Marine Economic Zone. The Presidency has described the proposed project as a $7 billion investment.
Tinubu’s extended stay abroad attracted public debate, particularly after he did not personally attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UNGA and delivered the country’s national statement.
The Presidency defended the arrangement, maintaining that Tinubu remained in charge of government and continued to direct affairs while abroad.
His return to Nigeria through Lagos also comes ahead of the country’s 66th Independence Day celebrations on October 1.
Tinubu is expected to attend the premiere of MKO, a documentary on the life of the late businessman and pro-democracy campaigner MKO Abiola, at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.
The film features archival material and interviews with prominent Nigerians, including former military leaders Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Tinubu.
Tinubu’s return brings his extended European working vacation to an end, with the President expected to resume his regular official engagements as the administration enters the final quarter of 2026.
Tinubu Returns After 30 Days in Europe, Says ‘I’m Healthy and Ready to Work’
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