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Leaked Audio: NCC Cannot Track, Leak Telephone Conversations — Director

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The Nigerian Communications Commission has reacted to claims, especially on social media, that it was responsible for leaking the audio of a telephone conversation between the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the Founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners’ Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo.

The NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, in a statement on Tuesday, distanced the commission from the leaked audio, saying it was bound by the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and therefore “cannot track nor leak telephone conversations to anyone.”

The NCC said it had been overwhelmed with enquiries by the media and was issuing the statement to set the record straight.

The statement read, “The Nigerian Communications Commission has been inundated with enquiries by the media on allegations of telephone ‘tracking’ and ‘leakage’ made against the Commission by some individuals and groups in the social and alternative media.

“The Commission wishes to make the following clarifications: The Commission denies the allegations in their entirety; By the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and other extant Laws of the Federation, the Commission does not and cannot ‘track’ nor ‘leak’ telephone conversations of anyone.”

The commission noted that it had reported the allegations to the relevant security agencies for proper investigation and necessary action.

It also restated its commitment to discharge its responsibilities to the “Nigerian people in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; the NCA 2003; other extant Laws of the Federation; and global best practices.”

In the audio clip, which went viral on Saturday, Obi was heard asking Oyedepo to help spread his message to Christians in the South-West and parts of North-Central.

He said, “Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara, this is a religious war.”

In response, Oyedepo said, “I believe that, I believe that, I believe that. If this works, you people will never regret the support.”

Reacting, Valentine Obienyem, a media aide to Obi, said the leaked audio of his principal’s conversation with Oyedepo was edited out of context.

Also, Oyedepo said on Sunday that he never campaigned for any politician or spoke on their behalf in the build-up to the general elections.

Oyedepo, while speaking to the congregation at the church’s headquarters, Faith Tabernacle, Ota, Ogun State, said, “I have never campaigned for anybody or spoken on anybody’s behalf and I will not do that till I go to heaven.

“There is no (political) party in this country that didn’t come to me for prayers and advice.”

BIG STORY

FULL LIST: Tinubu Appoints IBB’s Son, Muhammad Babangida Chairman Bank Of Agriculture, Others As Heads Of Govt Agencies

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Muhammad Babangida, the son of the former military President, as chairman of the revamped Bank of Agriculture.

President Tinubu approved the appointment today, along with seven others. Some of them will serve as chairmen or directors-general of Federal agencies.

Muhammad Babangida, 53, is an alumnus of the European University in Montreux, Switzerland, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Business Communication. He later attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Program on Corporate Governance in 2002.

Others appointed by the President are:

Lydia Kalat Musa (Kaduna State) Chairman, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA).

Jamilu Wada Aliyu (Kano State) Chairman, National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

The Hon. Yahuza Ado Inuwa (Kano State) is the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) chairman.

Sanusi Musa (SAN, Kano State) is the Chairman of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR).

Prof. Al-Mustapha Alhaji Aliyu (Sokoto State) is the Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).

Sanusi Garba Rikiji (Zamfara State) is the Director-General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

Mrs Tomi Somefun (Oyo State) is the Managing Director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

Dr Abdulmumini Mohammed Aminu-Zaria (Kaduna State) has been appointed Executive Director of the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC).

 

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

July 18, 2025

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Buhari Never Wanted To Congratulate Saraki, Dogara After Emerging Senate President, Speaker — Femi Adesina

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Femi Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, revealed that Buhari was initially unwilling to congratulate Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara after they controversially became Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015.

Adesina shared this in a tribute to Buhari, reflecting on his early experience as the president’s media aide and the difficulty of balancing loyalty with professional duty.

He explained that the incident happened just nine days after he took up the role of presidential spokesman.

According to Adesina, Saraki and Dogara emerged as leaders of the National Assembly against the preference of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Although their emergence was viewed as defiant, it still adhered to constitutional norms.

“I told the President we needed to congratulate them. He balked. But I stood my ground. He said no, I also said no. I said it would portray him as undemocratic,” Adesina wrote.

He noted that Buhari later agreed to issue the statement, making only a small addition to the final version.

“At the end of the day, he reasoned with me and the statement was written, with him just adding one word,” he stated.

“Keeping to his word is part of the famed integrity. Argue with me. If you have a better point, I’ll agree with you.”

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BIG STORY

Road To 2027: Everyone Afraid Of Atiku — Dele Momodu Claims As He Joins ADC

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Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation International, has said that “everyone is afraid” of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.

He made this remark while giving reasons for leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Momodu also confirmed that he would be backing Atiku in the 2027 presidential election.

During an appearance on Channels TV on Thursday, Momodu stated that his endorsement of Atiku stems from a strategic understanding of Nigeria’s political dynamics.

He said: “Everybody is afraid of Atiku, and that is exactly why I, Dele Momodu, support him.

“The fear the ruling party has for him shows he remains the most formidable opposition figure today.

“When everyone is trying to discredit or silence a man, it means he’s the one they truly fear.”

Momodu previously ran for president in 2011 and took part in the PDP presidential primaries in 2022.

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