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Why Tinubu May Not Attend Any Presidential Debate — Festus Keyamo

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Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson of the APC’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has declared that Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling party, may not attend any presidential debates before February’s presidential election.

Tinubu on Sunday shunned the presidential debate organized by Arise Television and a civic group, the latest such miss by the APC candidate.

In his reaction to why Tinubu was absent at Sunday’s event, Keyamo said Tinubu did not attend to avoid “selective appearance.”

Keyamo, in the Sunday statement, explained that several television stations have indicated interest to host similar events. However, Tinubu has no plan to attend any but prefers to speak to Nigerians directly, he said.

“Firstly, many radio and TV networks in Nigeria have indicated interest to host such debates and out of deference to other TV and radio stations, our candidate will not be making selective appearances on some networks, whilst ignoring others,” he said.

Sunday’s debate, tagged Arise News presidential town hall series, was organized by the Centre for Democracy and Development and Arise Television.

Before Sunday’s miss, Tinubu had avoided similar events by the body of lawyers, NBA, and the body of chartered accountants, ICAN. Tinubu’s running mate, Kashim Shettima, attended the NBA event in his stead but the candidate had no representative in Sunday’s debate.

Although the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar did not attend Sunday’s debate, he was represented by his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, who disclosed that the former vice president is out of the country.

Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) attended the Sunday event in person.

Keyamo, in the statement, said the candidate cannot afford to attend one debate while ignoring others.

He also claimed that the candidate has other engagements and so is unable to attend the debate series.

He added that the candidate will prefer speaking directly with voters through town hall meetings and campaign rallies.

Tinubu’s decision to avoid the debates prior to February’s general election is not expected to go well with millions of voters, many of whom had raised concerns of his penchant for avoiding public scrutiny. Many have taken to social media to criticize him for being absent at Sunday’s debate with one of the other candidates, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP, taking a jibe at him.

However, the candidate of the ruling party appears unperturbed by the criticisms.

Read the full statement by Keyamo below.

The APC Presidential Candidate in the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election, ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU, did not attend the Presidential Debate organized by ARISE TV on Sunday, November 6, 2022, for the following reasons:

Firstly, many radio and TV networks in Nigeria have indicated interest to host such debates and out of deference to other TV and radio stations, our candidate will not be making selective appearances on some networks, whilst ignoring others. As President of Nigeria, by the Special Grace of God, he intends to treat all persons and businesses fairly and equally.

Secondly, the busy and hectic campaign schedules of Asiwaju Tinubu will not permit him to honour all such invitations by different radio and TV networks, hence our decision for him not to start with one TV station and later ignore others.

Thirdly, our candidate had long before now realized the importance of speaking directly to Nigerians and shortly after unfolding his Action Plan as President embarked on Town Hall meetings beginning with his interaction with the Business Community and other stakeholders in Kano followed by the Town Hall meeting and presentation by experts last week in Lagos

Tomorrow, he will be interacting with Agro and Commodity Groups in Minna, Niger State.

Whilst we thank Arise TV for the invitation, we want to assure Nigerians that we shall continue to hold these debate groups and Nigerians in high esteem. Nigerians will hear from our candidate loud and clear through other forums.

Lastly, out of profound respect for Nigerians, we urge all our party structures and supporters at the grassroots to continue to organize town hall meetings to educate Nigerians on the Action Plan of our candidate as we believe a grassroots approach to reach Nigerians will also be more profound.

BIG STORY

“My NGO Account Has Been Hacked, N160Million Diverted” — VeryDarkMan

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Popular activist and social critic, VeryDarkMan, has raised concerns about the hacking of his NGO account, which led to the diversion of N160 million.

In a video shared on his verified Instagram account on Friday, he revealed that the incident had left him feeling distressed in recent days.

He explained that the funds were stolen after hackers allegedly gained access to the NGO’s website. The compromised account, which initially contained N180 million, now holds only N20 million.

He mentioned that law enforcement agencies had tracked one of the suspects, resulting in an arrest.

To address the situation, he stated that the NGO’s app had been temporarily taken offline for maintenance to prevent further vulnerabilities.

He said, “For the past few days, I’ve not been myself. I am here with Officer Joe, and we are going to Jos. NGO money—somebody stole the money. Somebody hacked into the NGO website, and I don’t know how they did it. N180 million is missing, but thank God we have tracked the person, and we are on our way to Jos.

“They have arrested one person, and that is why I’m even saying it now. I’m excited, and the account has been put on PND. The account now has N20 million, while N160 million has been diverted to another account. We are currently going there to see how we can get the money back. I just want to update you people.

“I even had to shut down the app and put it on maintenance so that people will not really see what is going on, but let me just come out plain and tell everyone what is going on. Hopefully, we will get the money back.”

The NGO, which launched in October, gained significant attention after raising over N21 million within 24 hours of its inception.

The initiative, aimed at transforming Nigeria’s public education system, attracted support from prominent figures, including music producer Don Jazzy.

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BIG STORY

Christmas Celebrations: Police Arrest 23 Suspected Armed Robbers, Hoodlums, Kidnapper, Recover Dangerous Weapons [PHOTOS]

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  • As IGP Commends Officers For Vigilance, Commitment To Safety

 

In furtherance of the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., to commands and formations to emplace unalloyed anti crime strategies towards ensuring adequate safety and security during this festive period, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force across several states in the country have successfully apprehended multiple groups of armed robbers, cultists and hoodlums targeting fun seekers and engaging in gangsterism during Christmas celebrations.

On the 25th of December 2024, at about 1am, the police operatives attached to Lagos State Command, received a distress call that a group of hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons was operating around the Safejo area of Amukoko, Lagos State. The swift response by the police operatives to the scene led to the arrest of 3 of the suspected hoodlums identified as Emmanuel Okoli ‘m’, 20 years, Ogunde Tejiri ‘m’, 20 years, and Emmanuel Orji ‘m’, 18 years, and also the recovery of the weapons they had used in carrying out robbery attacks on innocent funseekers in the area. The police have emplaced intensified searches to apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.

In a similar development, Police Operatives attached to Saminaka Division of the Kaduna State Command on 25th December 2024, at about 8pm, successfully apprehended one Sule Muhammad ‘m’, 25 years, who has been actively involved in multiple kidnapping incidents within the Saminaka area. Further investigation led to the recovery of a fabricated AK-47 rifle from the suspect. The suspect confessed to being a member of a notorious kidnapping gang who had been evading arrest since the arrest of other gang members on August 16, 2024, until his recent arrest on 25th December 2024. Following cooperation received from Muhammad, efforts are in top gear to apprehend other members of his gang and recover more arms and ammunition in their identified camp. Commendable efforts of the Nigeria Police Operatives have also been witnessed in states including Delta, Ogun Katsina, Benue, FCT and Imo, leading to the arrests of several suspects in various locations during the Christmas celebration period.

The IGP has commended the officers involved in these operations for their vigilance and commitment to public safety, highlighting their display of exemplary dedication in safeguarding our communities, especially during this joyful season. The IGP urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.

The IGP further assures citizens that the Force is fully committed to creating a safe environment for everyone as they partake in the joy and cheer of the holiday season. As the celebrations continue, the Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to protect all citizens and ensure that the spirit of festivities during this period remains unmarred by criminal activities.

 

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERS,

ABUJA.

27TH DECEMBER 2024.

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BIG STORY

Road To 2027: We’ll Ensure APC Gets Less Than 15k Votes — Kwankwaso

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Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano state, stated that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) will reduce the influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with party stakeholders in Tsanyawa LGA of the state, Kwankwaso mentioned that the NNPP aims to ensure the APC receives fewer than 15,000 votes in the 2027 elections.

In the 2023 governorship election, the NNPP garnered 1,019,602 votes, the APC secured 890,705 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came third with 15,957 votes.

Kwankwaso emphasized that the NNPP achieved the “remarkable feat” of over one million votes despite being a new political platform and starting its campaign late.

“Now, it’s our turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano come 2027,” Kwankwaso stated.

Kwankwaso, who was the NNPP’s presidential candidate in 2023, urged his supporters to stay united and focused to ensure the party’s success in future elections.

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