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Lagosian team can only fix Lagos not Nigeria, APC chieftain tells Tinubu
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) and lawyer, Jesutega Onokpasa, has called on President Bola Tinubu to build a competent ‘Nigerian team’ around himself in order to be able to right the wrongs of previous administrations and achieve his economic plans for Nigeria.
Addressing President Tinubu in a viral video message, the member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, called on the president to dismantle the team of Lagosians around him and assemble a team of Nigerians that would assist him deliver on his Renewed Hope Agenda, saying Lagosians in the presidential team had been redundant and of no value to the administration.
According to him, the earlier Tinubu gets better people, the better for his aspiration of fixing the country.
“Mr. President, most of us supported you because we know your antecedent, what you have done in Lagos. But, you see, you cannot come to form a core of a team that is basically a Lagosian team to fix Nigeria, it is mathematically incongruous. It is an incongruity. It is expected that you will mobilise a team of Lagosians to fix Lagos but you will have to mobilise a team of Nigerians to fix Nigeria.
“You see these Lagosians you brought to Abuja to help fix Nigeria, with respect, are not helping you, starting with your Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. You will have to dismantle this team, with respect, my president, you will have to dismantle it and rebuild a true genuine Nigerian core.
“Your core team must no longer be a Lagosian team, it must be a Nigerian team. Otherwise, we will just continue like this. Most of them are just interested in making money, they don’t love you and they are not interested in your welfare and success. They are not interested in your political welfare, they are not interested in moving Nigeria forward, these guys have been parasitising you for decades. Let me use our Delta parlance, ‘Dem don parasite you reach’. Discard them. There are many people across this country.
“I am not talking about myself, I don’t need an appointment. Have I not been surviving? I have been spending money on you. Have I come to you to beg you for money before? I will continue supporting you, my president, I don’t need you to give me anything. You have to dismantle this your Lagosian core.
“They think Nigeria is Lagos? Sapele is not Lagos, Warri is not Lagos, Benin is not Lagos, Ughelli is not Lagos, Lokoja is not Lagos, even right there in Yoruba land, is Akure Lagos? Is Ado-Eki Lagos, is Osogbo Lagos? You cannot bring a Lagosian team and believe it will be able to fix Nigeria. A Lagosian team will fix Lagos, it is a Nigerian team that will fix Nigeria,” Onokpasa said.
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Wike Aide to Ugochinyere : You’re a political misfit in Hushpuppi’s mode
…a ‘Ghana must go bag’ specialist
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has described Imo Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, a federal lawmaker as a political misfit in the mode of ‘Hushpuppi’
and a product of the internal aberrations within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Olayinka’s comments followed Ugochinyere’s recent allegations that Wike and other members of the G5 governors are determined to destroy the PDP.
While appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Ugochinyere accused Wike and former governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) of working against the PDP’s interests.
In response, Olayinka, in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, criticized Ugochinyere’s political trajectory and alleged motivations.
Olayinka slammed Ugochinyere as a product of the PDP’s structural flaws, claiming he lacks the moral authority to question the loyalty of seasoned party members.
He stated, “This is what happens when someone who joined the PDP yesterday is given the party’s ticket today. If the PDP had functioned properly, a ‘Political Hushpuppi’ like Ugochinyere would never have emerged as its candidate while still affiliated with another party.”
He further alleged that despite being elected on the PDP platform, Ugochinyere maintains ties to his former party, the Action Peoples Party (APP), which he reportedly uses to exploit political opportunities, particularly in Rivers State.
Olayinka also mocked Ugochinyere for allegedly fabricating political titles to sustain his political relevance.
He claimed Ugochinyere has been parading himself as the “Spokesperson of Opposition Lawmakers Coalition in the 10th National Assembly,” a position that does not officially exist.
“In saner climes, such behavior would be met with legal consequences. CUPP is not a registered political party, and there is no record of a coalition of opposition lawmakers appointing him to any position,” Olayinka said.
Olayinka alleged that Ugochinyere uses his APP platform and the self-assigned title to leverage resources from Rivers State, calling his activities “political hustling” and a consistent pattern of exploitation.
“Whether he is using his former party, APP, or his so-called opposition lawmakers’ coalition, his goal has always been the same — to ‘cash out.’ It’s unfortunate that this kind of character continues to thrive in our political system,” he added.
Olayinka advised Ugochinyere to redirect his energy toward serving his constituents, noting that they have expressed dissatisfaction with his performance. “Instead of obsessing over Wike and the G5, he should focus on fulfilling his legislative duties to prevent his constituents from passing further votes of no confidence against him,” he said.
The back-and-forth underscores the tensions within the PDP and the broader political discourse about loyalty, representation, and integrity in Nigeria’s political landscape.
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Genotype incompatibility: Bauchi couple cancels wedding days to ceremony
A Bauchi State resident, Muhammad Ibrahim, has cancelled his wedding ceremony after medical tests revealed he is not genetically compatible with his fiancée, Fatima Abdulqadir.
In a Facebook post shared on November 21, 2024, Ibrahim announced the decision to call off the wedding, which was scheduled for November 29, 2024.
He explained that both he and his fiancée were AS genotype carriers, posing a significant risk of having children with sickle cell disease.
Ibrahim, a Zoology graduate from Bauchi State University, disclosed that they discovered this only last month after undergoing tests at two separate hospitals to confirm the results.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that the couple had been in a three-year relationship but had not prioritised genotype testing, assuming there would be no issues.
In the Facebook post, Ibrahim wrote, “Dear friends and family, it’s with an incredibly heavy heart that I regretfully announce the cancellation of my upcoming wedding.
“Due to unforeseen genetic compatibility issues, my partner and I have made the difficult decision to go our separate ways.”
He described the news as a “devastating shock”, adding that their inability to proceed with the wedding had left him heartbroken.
Ibrahim in a chat said some family members encouraged him and his fiancée to proceed with their plans, but they declined.
He noted that the decision was made out of concern for potential health risks associated with having children who might inherit the sickle cell gene.
Meanwhile, the couple’s decision drew sympathy from their social media friends, with many commending their courage.
Ibrahim concluded his post by asking for prayers and understanding during what he described as a “dark hour.”
“It’s for the unborn children not to suffer,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “This is a wake-up call for everyone to prioritise genotype testing early in relationships.”
News
Angry mob sets two revenue collectors ablaze in Anambra
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
An angry mob has reportedly set ablaze two yet-to-be-identified revenue collectors of the Anambra State Government for causing a tipper driver to ram and kill a bystander at the Old Market Road along Venn Road by Egerton Bus Stop in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The incident, which occurred on Friday, caused confusion, thereby leading to gridlock in the area.
Eyewitnesses near the scene said the tipper driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the bystander as the revenue touts were dragging the steering of the vehicle with him.
According to sources, the revenue collectors were chasing the tipper driver over a payment they wanted him to make before he rammed into the man.
One of the sources said, “There was chaos in Onitsha as an angry mob set ablaze about two revenue touts, while four others were lucky as they managed to escape. The revenue collectors, numbering about six were chasing the tipper driver over a certain amount they asked him to pay.
“As they were chasing him, some of them were dragging the steering with him, but unfortunately, in the process, the tipper driver lost control and rammed into a passerby, killing him instantly.
“Immediately, the revenue collectors saw the damage they had caused; they tried to flee the scene, but the Onitsha mob got angry and descended on them, setting ablaze two of them instantly while four of them managed to escape.
“This is one death too many that has been going on in Anambra in the last two years. The person who the tipper driver rammed into was a known person. We cannot continue like this anymore. These revenue touts of the state government have killed more Ndi Anambra than non-state actors.”
Another source and a trader in the area also said, “Onitsha was hot this morning at Egerton by Old Market Road. Revenuemen were dragging steering with a tipper driver because he refused to bribe them, and in the process, the vehicle ran over an innocent man.
“Then, seeing the result of their stupid action, they tried to run away. But the angry people chased and caught two of them and set them on fire.”
The videos of the incident showing the burnt corpses of the revenue collectors have been making the rounds on social media to corroborate the story.
The Chairman of the association, Ebuka Unekwe, who also confirmed the development, lamented that the revenue collectors have been a pain on the neck of tipper drivers in the last two years.
When contacted on the development, on Saturday, the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the development, saying the police have responded swiftly to bring the situation under control.
He said, “Anambra Police responded swiftly on the receipt of the fatal accident that happened within that area.
“We are already working with the relevant authorities to ascertain what happened and find an amicable solution to such, especially on future occurrences.
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