Good morning Nigeria, welcome to OsunDaily News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 5th April 2023
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has been warned by the Federal Government against inciting Nigerians to violence over the outcome of the presidential election.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed issued this warning in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organizations.
According to Mohammed, it is wrong for Obi to seek redress in court over the outcome of the presidential election and on the other hand incite people to violence.
The Minister said, “Obi and his Vice, Datti Ahmed cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria.
“This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing.
“Obi’s statement is that of a desperate person, he is not the democrat that he claimed to be.
“A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins the election.”
Speaking on the move by Obi and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to challenge the presidential election, he said both Obi and Atiku failed to meet the constitutional requirements to be declared as president.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has denied allegations that it is tracking and leaking conversations of Nigerians to some individuals.
In a press release signed by the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, and sent to OsunDaily News on Tuesday, the commission said it does not and cannot track or leak anyone’s telephone conversation for any reason.
The commission urged Nigerians to disregard the rumoured allegation, reassuring its commitment to serve the citizens in line with the constitution’s provision.
The House of Representatives has rejected the plot to install an Interim Government after the expiration of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that the Department of State Services (DSS) had raised an alarm of a plot to install an interim government and stop the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, from being inaugurated as the president.
The Green Chamber called on security agencies to be on alert to forestall possible breakdown of law and order ahead of the May 29 inauguration following the alarm raised by the secret police.
The lower legislative chamber also warned aggrieved parties to desist from heating up the polity and contest the election outcome through the court.
The House passed the resolution during the plenary session on Tuesday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by a lawmaker representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom, Unyime Idem.
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has reacted after the allegations of a leaked phone conversation with the founder of the Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo.
Obi in a personally signed statement on Tuesday said he has observed the various campaigns of calumny directed at his person in the past few days.
The former Anambra State Governor also denied allegations of inciting people against the Nigerian state or encouraging anyone to undermine Nigeria as accused by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
OsunDaily News recalls Obi was alleged in the said leaked audio to have described the 2023 presidential election as a religious war and urged Bishop Oyedepo to help him mobilize Christian votes.
Also, Lai Mohammed accused him of inciting Nigerians to violence over the outcome of the presidential election.
According to Obi in his reaction, the allegations against him are untrue and contrary to his personality.
He added however that he remains unshaken in seeking redress in court over the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has defended the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload the results of the 2023 presidential election to its viewing portal immediately.
The Minister said INEC suspected a cyber attack and therefore withheld the results from going directly into the portal in order to preserve the data.
He added that the commission also proceeded to float an alternative platform while asking its technicians to investigate what happened to its original platform.
Mohammed denied the allegation that INEC refused to upload the results directly to the portal because it wanted to perpetrate fraud with the figures.
He also blamed the opposition parties for spreading the allegations of fraud against INEC due to their ignorance of how the process works.
OsunDaily News reports the Minister was quoted to have made the clarification while speaking with some international media outlets in Washington DC on Monday.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Tuesday charged Nigerians with evidence to file a case of an attack against Chairman of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Association, Musiliu Akinsaya, popularly known as Mc Oluomo.
Adejobi stated this while reacting to a post from a Twitter User, @AjammaS.
AjammaS in a post on the microblogging platform had claimed that Adejobi and the police failed to protect voters during the election after he asked people to take MC Oluomo’s remark about Igbo in a viral video as a joke.
AjammaS wrote, “Sir, you are also guilty, if I may say. This is what you said in the TV interview, and I quote. ‘MC Oluomo’s threat is a joke, let’s take it as a joke until he perfected [sic] the threat. I urge everyone to go out and cast their votes.
“Now Nigerians heed your calls and went out to cast their votes and unfortunately you failed to protect them as you promised. They were attacked by MC Oluomo and his boys, some were murdered, brutalised, blinded, and some are currently receiving treatment in different hospitals.”
Adejobi, in his response, asked the Twitter user to file an attack case against Oluomo if he had evidence of attacks against him, adding that Oluomo lacks immunity.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has denied having an anointed aspirant for the Kogi PDP governorship primary election.
OsunDaily News reports that Atiku made this known in a statement on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe.
The former Vice-President dismissed several media reports insinuating his involvement in the democratic process of electing the gubernatorial flag bearer for the PDP in the upcoming Kogi State governorship election.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday wrote the Senate urging the lawmakers to, without further hesitation, consider and approve the Nigerian Data Protection Bill sent to the Red Chamber by the executive.
OsunDaily News reports that the Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communication, Bashir Ahmad, confirmed the letter’s content addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
“Pursuant to Section 58, subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, I forward herewith the Nigerian Data Protection Bill for consideration and approval of by the Senate,’’ said the president’s letter read at plenary on Tuesday.
The Bill seeks to provide a legal framework for protecting personal information and establishing the Nigerian Data Protection Commission for regulating laws on personal information.
In a separate letter, the Nigerian leader urged the Senate to approve the reappointment of Abdul Abubakar as non-Executive Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a second and final term.
Also, in another letter, the president transmitted a Bill for establishing the Nigeria Police Force College Training School and Institution for consideration and approval by the Senate.
No fewer than 10 students have been abducted from the Government Secondary School, Awon School, in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Monday.
OsunDaily News reports that the incident was confirmed on Tuesday in a statement by the Kaduna Commissioner for the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.
According to him, the precise location of the incident is yet to be ascertained, as the school in question is a day secondary school.
He however said the State Government received a preliminary report from security agencies regarding the kidnap of the students.
The commissioner as well noted that further details were being awaited to clarify if the incident occurred within the school premises or elsewhere.
The Labour Party (LP) has denied the allegation by the Federal Government that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, incited Nigerians to violence over the outcome of the presidential election.
OsunDaily News reports that the party was reacting to the accusation by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, during an interview with some international media organizations on the just concluded 2023 election.
During the interview, Mohammed had accused Obi of inciting people to violence while seeking redress in court over the outcome of the election.
But in a statement on Tuesday, the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, said Obi is a law-abiding and peaceful person, stressing that the accusation against the former Governor of Anambra was to tarnish his image.
Abure stated that despite the fact that the election was provocatively rigged, the LP flagbearer has decided to be peaceful and to follow the part of justice. He added that the admonishing to Obi was done in bad faith.
The LP chairman said it was the party and its candidate that was attacked in Lagos, in Portharcourt and all other states in the federation, adding that it has continued to be peaceful.
He alleged that the spokespersons of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have engaged in “provocative utterances to cause chaos” and the government has failed to accuse them of a treasonable act.
