By Mike Odeh James, Kaduna.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed concerns regarding rumors of a possible arrest and detention, asserting that he has no plans to go into exile. In a post on X on Tuesday, El-Rufai revealed that he believes his adversaries are attempting to force him out of the country.

Currently residing in Egypt, El-Rufai responded to a loyal supporter, Imran Wakili, regarding the alleged plot against him. He stated his intention to return to Nigeria before February 20, emphasizing, “I will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before.”

El-Rufai claimed to have received intimidation and threats through friends, family, and political associates aimed at coercing him into self-imposed exile. “Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option,” he declared, reiterating his commitment to political engagement despite past experiences of arrest and detention for expressing dissenting views.

Reflecting on the nature of political strife, he remarked, “The arrest, detention, and torture of perceived political enemies are nothing new in human affairs,” and stressed that political life continues beyond such challenges. He affirmed his intention to return for the launch of former President Ibrahim Babangida’s memoirs, scheduled for February 20, stating, “We depend on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah.”

El-Rufai’s statements come amid ongoing tensions with supporters of President Bola Tinubu and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the former governor recently criticizing the party for lacking internal democracy, highlighting the absence of meetings among its governing organs for the past two years.

By John Audu.

Part of curtailing escalating criticism from opposition figures, ministers from Northern Nigeria in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet have begun to publicly support the administration.

Recent reports from Sunday PUNCH indicate that several ministers and high-ranking officials have become increasingly vocal as prominent elites and politicians voice their dissent against the government. Sources close to the Presidency suggest that political leaders, ministers, and other key appointees have been instructed to actively counter these criticisms.

The Tinubu administration has faced significant scrutiny from various political factions, including former governors and influential groups. Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, recently condemned remarks made by former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, labeling them as “reckless and inflammatory.” Matawalle emphasized that such statements are particularly harmful at a time when the government is striving to foster national unity and security.

Matawalle also criticized the Northern Elders Forum for expressing regret over their support for Tinubu during the 2023 elections, calling the group a “political burden” and accusing them of undermining the rights of others for personal gain.

Tensions have also surfaced between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. El-Rufai accused Ribadu of conveniently forgetting past statements in which he allegedly labeled Tinubu as “the most corrupt” politician. Ribadu has since demanded a public apology and retraction from El-Rufai.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has also defended the administration against criticisms from Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who accused the government of failing to fulfill its promises. Tuggar dismissed the governor’s comments as “mischievous” and urged him to refrain from misleading the public.

Strategic Responses from Northern Leaders

A source within the Tinubu administration revealed that northern leaders have been given explicit orders to confront the growing opposition. “We need to silence these nay-sayers,” the source stated, referring to the factions opposing Tinubu’s leadership as the 2027 elections approach.

The source highlighted a divide within the North over the ruling APC’s presidential candidate for 2027, with notable figures from the North-West and North-East vying for influence. While some politicians from the North-West, including El-Rufai, are working to discredit Tinubu’s potential re-election bid, others from the North-East, including Vice President Kassim Shettima, are advocating for a candidate from their region.

Ministers aligned with Tinubu are actively working to counter opposition narratives. The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, characterized critics of the President as “blackmailers” and emphasized that political appointees are using persuasive means to rally support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Musa Mada, the APC Publicity Secretary for North-West, asserted that the ministers’ responses to critics are not directed by the Presidency but are rather spontaneous reactions to the current political climate. He described the criticisms as insincere and highlighted the need for ministers to clarify the truth regarding the administration’s performance.

The Presidency has reiterated that no coercion was involved in the ministers’ public support, with Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stating that these officials are simply fulfilling their roles by addressing misinformation and advocating for the government.

As the political landscape continues to evolve, the Tinubu administration appears committed to consolidating support and countering dissent as it gears up for the challenges ahead.

By Francis Nansak

In his quest for good governance and consultation for governorship of Nasarawa State ,tribes ,Associations including political gladiators across all parties lock horns in support of the ambition of Alhaji Abubakar Abdul Giza.

It was momentous gathering in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Saturday that has in attendance serving and former legislators from the state and at the national assembly.

The consultation meeting did not speared tribal heads from across the 13 local government area and parties stalwarts.

Speakers upon speakers that attended the meeting bears their minds as they vow to support Abu Giza’s ambition to becoming the next governor of Nasarawa State.

According to them Abu Giza played a significant role in the creation of Nasarawa State therefore it is time to reward him since he has indicated interest to govern the state come 2027.

Amongst party men that graced the gathering are Senator Ogoshi Onawo, PDP, former Reps Member Dahiru Sarki NNPP, Hon Omodefu APC, Peter Mbuchu , Dr Ogbere and many others from different political platforms ,all back the aspiration of Alhaji Abu Giza.

In his speech , Senator Ogoshi Onawo said he has every reason to attend the meeting hosted by his friend of many years ,who has always supported and encouraged him at all times.

” Today , the man Abu Giza has shown interest to contest election for the position of governor in Nasarawa State, I believe it is a good course ,so I am calling on the good people of Nasarawa State to give him the necessary support so that he actualized the dream he dreamt about Nasarawa State which I trust he will do better” Onawo stated.

Tribes that converged at the meeting includes Alago, Eggon, Mada, Gwandara, TIV , Minghili,Gbagyi , among others.

Responding,Alhaji Abubakar Abdul Giza while thanking the people of the state for honouring his invitation,stated that he was called upon by some top politicians in the state ,who asked him to be prepared for governorship of the state in the next general election

” At first I was reluctant but later convinced myself to heed at their Clarion call and upon embarking on consultation,I discovered that 80% of the people I met with told me that they are the ones that wants me contest the governorship election of our dear state.

” It is not lie that I was instrumental to the creation of Nasarawa state at a point I had to spent 22hours driving on the road just to ensured those expected to signed the letter did .And I felt ill after accomplishing that all important tasked.So I thank you all for honouring this Clarion call from our stakeholder s who desire that I come out t to contest in 2027″ He said.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has revealed that all proposals for the 30 new states failed constitutional requirements.
This was as former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, strongly opposed the creation of 31 new states in Nigeria, as proposed by the House of Representatives.

Jega asserted that decentralising power from the federal government to the individual states of the country was a key solution to achieving sustainable progress.
But Kalu urged the applicants to comply with the constitutional procedures outlined in Section 8, Sub-sections 1 to 3 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The Deputy Speaker in a statement issued yesterday by his media office also clarified that the proposal was for 30 new states and not 31 as erroneously reported in the media.
He explained that to create a new state, the constitution requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, the House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, and local governments.

Kalu said that parliament was committed to following the procedure and is inviting the applicants to resubmit their proposals once they’ve complied with the constitutional guidelines.

He said: “We are the people’s parliament. We are not taking any position on the issue of creation of states. We have heard a lot of people giving different narratives to the letter that was read.
“Let me clear the dust. During the Ninth Assembly, we received more requests for state creation and some of them came through private member bills.

“Some came from the memoranda we called for and in this Tenth Assembly, we have received 30, not 31. I think, on that list, they repeated Ibadan State twice. It is 30 that we have received.
“But having received that, in the last assembly, people did not know why their request for state creation did not go through.

“In this Tenth Assembly, we decided to let the people know that granted, we have received all the applications for new states to be created either through member bills or the memoranda but not conceding that all of them are good enough to be created.

“There are constitutional procedures in section 8 subsection 1 to 3 on how this application should be made. As we speak, none of these 30 proposals have met the requirements of Section 8 and that was why we decided to bring it to the notice of Nigerians that your application before us is ineffective.

“Therefore, you need to comply with Section 8 so that when we don’t consider the state creation request, you will know where it emanated from. So, the notice to the public is that you have between now and March 5 to enable you cure the gaps in your application for state creation.”
Meanwhile, Jega made these remarks yesterday during a live interview on Arise Television.

According to him, “I have been engaged on the issue of constitutional reforms to address what we can call not only the imperfections of our federal system but to improve upon the structure and the operations of our federal system. And while I would say that many things would require a constitutional review, to be honest, to my mind, the creation of states is not one of them.

“We seem to already have too many states. And if we continue in the direction of every request that comes, then you create a state. We are moving in the direction of what one would call the atomisation of the Nigerian federation.