POLITICS
Rep Member-elect Opposes APC’s Endorsement of NASS Leadership

By Idris Umar, Abuja
Member of the House of Representatives-elect, Bashir Usman Gorau, who represents Gada-Goronyo Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, has faulted the endorsement of the leadership of the 10th National Assembly by President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The president-elect and the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), on Monday announced the endorsement Senator Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin for Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively for the 10th National Assembly.
They also endorsed Tajuddeen Abbass and Benjamin Kalu, for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.However, reacting to the endorsement, the 33-year-old, who won election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said constitution of the country has given full mandate to members of the National Assembly to choose the best they felt is capable to lead them, adding that endorsement will not yield any positive results.
Featuring on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Wednesday, the Member-elect said both Tinubu and outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila should allow the members of the 10th Assembly to select their leaders, as they will not be around when the leadership will perform its activities in the house.
“Tinubu being the president-elect has no constitutional right to choose for us. This is not their business. This is an issue and affair relating to the members of the House of Representatives and Senate respectively.
“By this endorsement, they are literally intruding into the National Assembly, which will likely undermine the statutory conduct of the legislature and we will not accept that,” he said.
Speaking on the House of Representatives in particular, Gorau said Majority of the members-elect are not supporting the endorsement by the present-elect including members of the APC.
He said although APC is the ruling party, but it lacks the power to enforce any body as a speaker in the House, adding that they are the greater majority as they have members from the opposition parties twice than that of the APC.
“The ruling party doesn’t have the capacity and number to decide who is who in the House of Representatives. We the new members are 243 out 358 members that we have presently. So there is no way they can just endorse someone and we fold our arms and watch is not possible,” he said.
Gorau said as far as they are concerned, 90% of the new members of the House have endorse Mukhtar Aliyu Betara as the new speaker and that he has gone far in his Mobilization.
According to him, with the number of greater minority and other members from the ruling party, Betara will be the next Speaker of the House with or without endorsement of the APC.
“All of us have agreed that Betara is our candidate and he will emerge the Speaker. We will not vote incompetence person and we don’t want a rubber stamp Speaker in the house. Betara has all it takes to be the Speaker and whether they like it not he is going to be,” he added.
Betara, have reached out massively, we looking for his favour to accept our nomination, not even vote for himself, we are going to vote him as our leader the incoming speaker.
POLITICS
Buhari Felicitates Tinubu at Midterm, Calls for Nigerians’ continue support

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated his successor, President Bola Tinubu, on his midterm, calling for Nigerians’ continue support for his administration’s efforts to address poverty and inflation.
This is contained in a statement issued by Buhari’s former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday.
Buhari also called for steadfast support for the All Progressives Congress-led government as it marks its second year in office, saying reforms would achieve success gradually, not overnight.
He warned that necessary reforms and desired changes must not fall victim to mettlesome domestic politics.
According to him, as the party and the government celebrate, the country should be reminded that leadership is a continuous journey.
Buhari expressed support for the ongoing efforts by the Tinubu-led administration to curb poverty and inflation, which, he said, had hit the poorest families.
Seeking Nigerians’ support for Tinubu-led administration, he said that the task of reducing poverty and inflation mustn’t be left only for the government.
“The private sector and all of us, as citizens, must join in all ways we can,” he said.
The former president urged Nigerians to remain optimistic and stay confident about the country’s future, saying ‘our expectations from our governments should not get heavy’.
While expressing his heartfelt felicitation to Tinubu on his two years in office, Buhari prayed God to keep and grant him the wisdom and care to continue to lead the country. (NAN)

President Tinubu Appoints Ex- Speaker, Enugu Assembly, Odo, as UNN Governing Council Member
President Bola Tinubu has appointed the former speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odo, and Mr. Muhammad Tahir, as governing council members of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
The appointment comes as part of the President’s renewed efforts to reposition federal tertiary institutions for excellence and global competitiveness.
Odo served as a two time speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly between 2007 and 2015.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain also served under the previous administration of Muhammad Buhari as a governing board member of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
Also appointed were the governing councils members of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka.
The appointments were contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.
Onanuga said President Tinubu charged the new council members to justify their appointments by ensuring that their respective universities move forward.(NAN)
POLITICS
PDP NEC Gets Under Way in Abuja

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja
All is set for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 99th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting today at the party’s Presidential Campaign Office, Legacy House, located in the Maitama District, Abuja. After a marathon meeting of the various organs of the PDP at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge, officials of the party have converged on Legacy House for the long awaited NEC meeting, which had been postponed for several times.
Security in and around the house has been beefed up with the deployment operatives from the Police, DSS and NSCDC. Many prominent members of the party, including its 2023 Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, were absent from the marathon meeting.The NEC, one of the highest decision-making organs of the PDP, comprises of Party National Chairman and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), state governors, serving and former presidents, former vice-presidents, the chairman and secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT), principal officers of the National Assembly, state chairpersons, former governors, and founding members, among others. The NEC meeting is expected to address critical issues affecting the party, including strategies for upcoming political engagements, leading to the 2027 general elections.On Monday, barely 24 hours to the much expected NEC meeting, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) keep to its threat and sealed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat, Wuse Zone 5 for failure to ground rent, a situation the party described as temporary set back.However, reprieve came to the PDP and others who had their properties sealed as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, intervened and gave them 14 days to pay their ground rent.