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El-Rufai Meets Aregbesola, Tunde Bakare Amid Political Speculations

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Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Sunday, paid a visit to ex-Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and Pastor Tunde Bakare in Lagos.

Photographs showing the Kaduna politician with Aregbesola and Bakare quickly went viral on social media.

Although the details of El-Rufai’s discussions with the two politicians were not disclosed, it is widely believed that these visits are part of his political maneuvering ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Recently, El-Rufai has been outspoken in his criticism of the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Bola Tinubu.

He accused Tinubu of playing a role in his rejection by the National Assembly during ministerial screening.

Aregbesola, who was once an ally of Tinubu, recently left the APC along with his supporters in Osun State.

Bakare, who lost the APC presidential ticket to Tinubu ahead of the 2023 elections, has also voiced his discontent with the current government.

El-Rufai, a prominent figure in the APC, has also been seen interacting with opposition politicians, including 2023 Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media adviser, revealed the visit to Aregbesola and Bakare in a tweet on Sunday.

El-Rufai’s meeting with both figures follows a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna just days earlier.

The former Kaduna governor’s visit to Lagos has sparked fresh discussions about his political future and potential strategic alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.

El-Rufai recently made headlines when he appeared on Arise Television, accusing Tinubu of intentionally excluding him from his list of ministerial nominees.

During the interview, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory hinted that he might leave the ruling APC, expressing that the party had already abandoned him.

When asked if he would support the President’s re-election bid in 2027, El-Rufai avoided the question, stating that he was uncertain if he would even remain in the APC by then.

His alleged anti-party actions prompted the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, to question his true intentions at the end of the recently concluded National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.

The National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, initially declined to comment on El-Rufai’s recent visit to Aregbesola and Bakare, stating that the party could not afford to give unnecessary attention to his activities.

When pressed further, the Osun party leader stated that El-Rufai was not a concern at the moment.

He said, “We don’t have any comment. Anybody who wants to worry about his movements is free. So far he is a Nigerian, El-Rufai is free to visit anybody he likes.

“We have more serious work to do than to comment on anybody roaming around.”

The National Deputy Organising Secretary of the party, Nze Chidi Duru, also expressed the view that El-Rufai has the right to associate freely with anyone he chooses.

He said, “You remember that he once visited Aregbesola when he was governor. But at the end of the day, he returned and supported Mr. President. In recognition of that, there is freedom of association, which is very important. And it is good that he is exercising it to the highest.

“There is no restriction with respect to that. So I don’t think any meaning should be read into his recent visits other than a meeting of friends. At the end of the day, if it leads to something beyond that, we then need to make demands.

“So it is not every visit that we should give political colouration or gain. I am not even thinking about it. It is like me going to visit a political friend and it then becomes a national issue. If there is something that comes out of such association, we can then comment about it.”

BIG STORY

LG Polls: Speaker Obasa Charges Lagos West APC Candidates To Intensify Campaigns, Assures Of The Assembly’s Support

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  • As Lagos Railway Corporation and Ibile Energy Corporation bills scale second reading

 

Ahead of the local government elections holding Saturday, July 12, across the state, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa met with candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from the Lagos State West Senatorial District at the assembly complex on Tuesday, charging them to knock on all doors and campaign vigorously until the very last day to ensure victory at the polls.

As a show of support, Speaker Obasa contributed generously to the candidates’ campaign purses and assured them of the Assembly’s unstinting support before and after the elections.

At the meeting, which was attended by all the APC chairmen, vice-chairmen, and councillorship candidates, Speaker Obasa urged the candidates not to rest on the party’s laurels but to maintain momentum and outreach efforts until the very last day of campaigning. “Engage with everyone in the community, regardless of their ethnic background or religion,” he implored, while harping on the necessity for candidates to actively supervise those assigned to manage their campaigns.

The Speaker also admonished the candidates to adopt a mindset centred on service to the people when they assume office, adding, “Your focus should be on serving your constituents with integrity and commitment, and you must have respect for democratic institutions and practices.”

Further, he proudly noted that Lagos remains unique among states in the country, as it grants local government chairmen a four-year tenure per term, allowing for more sustained governance and grassroots development.

The meeting concluded with a palpable sense of urgency and resolve among the APC candidates, as they prepare to take their campaigns to the grassroots, embodying the spirit of service and dedication imparted by Speaker Obasa.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Railway Corporation bill and the IBILE Energy Corporation Bill have scaled the second reading.

According to the Majority Leader, Hon. Noheem Babatunde Adams, who spoke during plenary later on Tuesday, the proposed ‘bill for a Law to establish the Lagos State Railway Corporation to improve Railway Transportation in Lagos State and for connected purposes’, seeks to provide efficient and reliable transportation services, and establish a Governing Board tasked with overseeing the corporation’s operations.

Hon. Adams, the member representing Eti Osa Constituency 1, said, “With South Africa leading in Africa with a 20,926 km railway network and Nigeria currently at 3,798 km, Lagos, as Africa’s second-largest city economy after Cairo, must take the lead in innovative rail transport solutions.” He added that the bill will set up a standard railway corporation comparable to any across the globe.

Similarly, the House also read for the second time, ‘A bill for a Law to establish the IBILE Energy Corporation’, which Hon. Sobur Oluwa, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources, described as a transformative one for the state’s energy landscape.
“If passed into Law, the corporation will attract innovation, investment, and reshape the energy sector of the State,” he said.

In his remarks, Speaker Obasa commended the essence of the bills and noted that when eventually passed into law, they will mark a significant advancement in the assembly’s efforts to modernize infrastructure and strengthen the state’s economy. He, thereafter, committed the two bills to the committees on Transportation and Energy and Mineral Resources with a mandate to submit their reports at the earliest possible time.

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BIG STORY

Atiku Denies Report Of Stepping Down For Southern Candidate, Blames APC For Fake Story

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected claims suggesting he was under pressure to withdraw for a southern candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing them as false and politically driven.

In a statement released by his media office on Tuesday, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) referred to the alleged meeting as “phantom,” insisting he never attended any such gathering and no such talks were held.

“There was no such meeting. Atiku Abubakar was never in attendance,” the statement said. “The entire story is a malicious fabrication — pure fiction cooked up in the propaganda kitchens of the Tinubu-led APC regime.”

He accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of spreading the false report in an attempt to divert attention from its failures and cause division within the opposition.

Atiku asserted that the increasing popularity of the Allied Democratic Congress (ADC), recently adopted by a coalition of opposition groups as their platform for the 2027 elections, has unsettled the ruling party.

“This is just a diversionary tactic by a faltering administration to sow discord within the opposition ranks and derail the momentum gained by the successful unveiling of the ADC as the coalition’s political vehicle,” he stated.

He affirmed that no amount of planted stories, anonymous briefings, or propaganda would weaken the opposition’s determination to take power from what he described as a “rudderless government.”

“Atiku remains committed to the unity and progress of Nigeria,” the statement continued. “We are united, focused, and determined to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of this rudderless government.”

He also urged Nigerians and the media to disregard the report, calling it a baseless fabrication lacking credibility or truth.

The statement was released amid increasing political movements ahead of the 2027 elections, as opposition leaders realign to build a united front against the APC.

Atiku, who has contested for the presidency several times, remains a key figure in the opposition and has not ruled out another run for the presidency.

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BIG STORY

Igbo Criminals, Not Fulani Herdsmen, Behind South-East Killings — Soludo

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Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has stated that most of the kidnappings and killings in Anambra and other South-East states are carried out by Igbo criminals, not “Fulani herdsmen as widely believed”.

Soludo made this statement during a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in the Diaspora, held at the Metro Points Hotel in New Carrollton, Maryland, United States. He said, “99.99 per cent of kidnappers and other criminals arrested in the state since I assumed office three years ago have been Igbos.”

The governor, who has been meeting with Anambra citizens in the US since Sunday to present a detailed report of his three-year tenure, including achievements and challenges, described the belief that Fulani herdsmen are responsible as a “dangerous and misleading narrative,” stating that “it is not Fulani herdsmen, but homegrown criminal elements terrorising the South-East.”

He explained that many who claim to be “liberators” hiding in forests are actually Igbo youths involved in violent crimes for “personal enrichment.”

He said, “Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. Ask yourselves: how do these so-called liberators survive in the forests for months without local support? Who feeds them?

“In my three years and three months in office, nearly every kidnapper and armed criminal we have apprehended is Igbo. Igbos are kidnapping and killing fellow Igbos— not Fulani herdsmen. Anambra belongs to all of us. Our progress is a shared responsibility.”

He called on the Diaspora community to embrace the “think home” initiative by investing in their homeland and contributing their skills and resources.

The governor, joined by his Chief of Staff, Ernest Ezeajughi, presented an open account of his administration’s accomplishments and difficulties, highlighting improvements in infrastructure, education, healthcare, youth empowerment, and security.

Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Samson Itegboje, also attended the event and emphasised the importance of diaspora involvement in national development.

During an interactive session, Soludo addressed questions on governance and security, drawing applause from attendees. One participant commented, “He’s the most transparent and development-focused governor we’ve had. At least he’s telling the truth — even if it’s uncomfortable.”

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