Politics
Remi Tinubu: Trauma of living in US exile made me born-again
Oluremi Tinubu, senator representing Lagos central, says she became a born-again Christian while she was in exile with her family in the United States.
She stated this in an interview she granted Television Continental, as the senator celebrated her 60th birthday on September 21.
According to her, the trauma of being alone in the US, with little kids and without her husband made her to become born-again.
She said when she became the first lady of Lagos at a young age, adding that she had to seek God’s guidance to handle the responsibilities that came with the position.
“Like I said, if you get into a position you never envisage in your life time that you will ever occupy, you believe it is a privilege and God must have made you to become that. So you have to go back to God and ask ‘how do I do this,” she said.
“Thank God before I became the first lady, we were in self exile for almost five years and when you have problem, the only person you run to is God. So while I was in the US, I went to church, that was when I became born-again.
“I went into exile as an Anglican, came out as a Pentecostal. I remember I was looking for God from one church to another, it was very difficult. When I came back, l had amnesia, I lost my memory, it was traumatic for me and that’s why I don’t like attending social gatherings because people walk up to me and I don’t recognise them anymore.
“It was traumatic for me because I was around 34, first time of being separated from your husband, and then you are stuck with two children with a lot of responsibilities.
“My husband couldn’t come see us until 18 months after. They locked them up for a while during the Abacha period and to see us, they have to go through neighbouring borders and the only passport he had was a diplomatic passport that couldn’t get him to UK because there were sanctions on diplomats because of June 12.
“He had to get to a neighbouring country to get their passport to come see us. Through that passport, he came to see us once every six months. But for me to raise the children to go to school, they were very young, it was traumatic for me. So to come back and become a first lady, it was something else.”
Tinubu also said she had never experienced any conflict with her husband as regards their different faith.
“When I met my husband, I didn’t know it was a big deal. We’re from the Anglican Church. Then, a lot of Christians married Muslims. It was my sister that introduced us,” she said.
“One of the things that was profound for me, when we both went to see my dad, my dad asked him ‘are you a Muslim?, that was the first time I heard that. You’re a Muslim, I hope you won’t prevent my daughter from going to church and he promised not to.
“The point is he is quite respectful of my faith and if someone respects you it is quite right you show the same respect. He respects my faith, I respect his so there is no conflict.
“He doesn’t stop me from praying even if some pastors come around. He also has a lot of pastor friends that I met through him.
“My husband is very liberal when it comes to faith, being married to a Muslim I never had any problem. But when it is time for me to put on Hijab during his events, I’ll do that but that doesn’t change my faith.”
Politics
El-Rufai: I Supported Tinubu Out of Party Principle, Not Friendship
El-Rufai: I Supported Tinubu Out of Party Principle, Not Friendship
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has stated that he never had a personal or political relationship with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that their political paths were never destined to align.
El-Rufai, now a prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks in a television interview, dismissing claims that he and Tinubu were once friends or political allies.
“I think it’s important to make this clarification. There is an assumption that I was ever Tinubu’s friend. I was not. We never got along with Tinubu. We never had a personal relationship,” he said.
He explained that his support for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election was not driven by personal loyalty but by political principle and party discipline within the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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“For me, Tinubu was initially just an aspirant of the party. I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the South-West and asked to support the emergence of a South-West Muslim presidential candidate,” he added.
El-Rufai noted that his backing of Tinubu was rooted in an understanding within the APC that after eight years of former President Buhari, power would shift to the South-West, and that his commitment was strictly principle-driven, not personal.
He further stated that once Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate, he fully worked to ensure APC’s victory, highlighting his belief in supporting the official party candidate, regardless of personal preference.
However, El-Rufai said that fundamental differences in values and governance philosophy eventually created a widening gap between him and Tinubu. “We didn’t fall out; we just couldn’t find areas of agreement,” he explained, underscoring their incompatible approaches to leadership and public service.
Political analysts suggest that El-Rufai’s remarks signal growing ideological divergence within APC and reflect his efforts to distinguish his ADC platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
El-Rufai: I Supported Tinubu Out of Party Principle, Not Friendship
Politics
Atiku Rejects Mixed Result Transmission
Atiku Rejects Mixed Result Transmission
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected the mixed electronic and manual transmission of election results in Nigeria and called on opposition political parties to unite in advocating for transparent and credible elections.
Speaking at a news conference in Minna, Niger State, following a closed-door meeting with former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku emphasised the urgent need for a fully electronic result transmission system to prevent confusion and disputes during elections.
He warned that the current hybrid model, which combines electronic upload with manual collation as a backup, could create loopholes, misreporting, and undermine public confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The expectations of Nigerians, who are expecting real-time electronic transfer to all levels of the elections, are not being met. What we have now is a mixture of electronic and manual transmission, which could cause more confusion or chaos than a single-tier, fully electronic system. This is why all opposition parties must unite to pursue this issue,” Atiku said.
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The former vice president criticised the Senate’s recent passage of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act, which allows electronic transmission but retains manual collation as a fallback, describing it as a compromise that falls short of complete openness.
On questions about his presence in Minna and the 2027 presidential election, Atiku clarified that he was focused on strengthening the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at the ward, local, state, and national levels, and denied that his visit signalled political ambition. He also highlighted that the ADC does not have zoning provisions, unlike the PDP, underscoring differences in party structures.
The remarks follow the Senate’s special plenary on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, where the chamber allowed result transmission to the INEC Result Viewing Portal but retained manual collation as a backup and declined to make electronic transmission mandatory or real-time.
Atiku warned that settling for a hybrid system could undermine the integrity of the electoral process, urging opposition parties and civil society groups to stand together for electoral reforms that ensure transparency, accountability, and credible elections in Nigeria.
Atiku Rejects Mixed Result Transmission
Politics
Wike Backs Tinubu’s Peace Efforts, Vows Stability in Rivers
Wike Backs Tinubu’s Peace Efforts, Vows Stability in Rivers
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has pledged to work towards lasting peace and stability in Rivers State, while commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his timely and decisive intervention in the lingering political crisis in the state.
Wike made the pledge while reacting to ongoing reconciliation efforts aimed at resolving tensions within the Rivers State political leadership, which have disrupted governance and heightened political uncertainty.
The former Rivers State governor described President Tinubu’s intervention as statesmanlike, noting that the president’s actions demonstrated a commitment to national unity, political stability, and democratic governance.
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According to Wike, the president’s engagement with key stakeholders helped to de-escalate tensions, restore dialogue, and create room for peaceful resolution of disagreements that had threatened the smooth administration of the state.
He reaffirmed his loyalty to the president and pledged to support all initiatives designed to ensure peaceful coexistence, respect for democratic institutions, and the uninterrupted delivery of governance in Rivers State.
Wike urged political actors and supporters to place the interest of Rivers people above personal or factional considerations, warning that prolonged conflict could undermine development and investor confidence in the oil-rich state.
He also called on all parties involved in the crisis to embrace dialogue, shun violence, and respect the authority of the president as the leader of the nation.
The Rivers political crisis has attracted national attention in recent months, with President Tinubu stepping in to prevent further escalation and to ensure that constitutional order and peace are maintained.
Wike Backs Tinubu’s Peace Efforts, Vows Stability in Rivers
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