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Benue Massacre: Tinubu’s Visit Exposes His Shortcomings as Commander-in-Chief

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo has said that President Bola Tinubu’s last week’s visit to Yelwata in Benue State, where over 200 villagers were massacred, has exposed his shortcoming as a Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the country’s armed forces.


Adebayo noted that as the C-in-C, he ) Tinubu) cannot say that he didn’t have foreknowledge of the killings in Benue because according to him, the things that are happening across the country, especially in Benue and Plateau, where killings have become regular occurrence, should form part of the daily features in the security reports that he receives.

The SDP Leader, while answering questions on the Channels TV programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’, insisted that President Tinubu is not a good C-in-C. He condemned the politicization and trivialisation of the Benue massacre during the president’s visit by turning the event into a political rally and carnival.
His words : “What I see is a general pattern where the President politicizes everything. If he’s going to commission a road, there’s always this cartoonish aspect that has to do with singing and all of that.
“He goes to the National Assembly in a country where people are suffering and they sing these various anthems that they wax all the time.
“Now, they’ve not gone one step beyond reason by going to a place of mourning, a place of massacre where over 200 people were dastardly killed; such a place is a somber occasion and he’s in charge of all the people who followed him there and what you get there is like another political rally. That sombreness was not there”
He stated that some of the theaters they were doing there with the Chief of Defence Staff giving the President a salute are the things they should have done in the situation room.
“I think the President should have gone there as a chief mourner and his language should have been sober. The responses should have been better controlled and he should have made sure that come rain, come shine, he got to the venue of the attack,” he said.
Adebayo equally condemned the President’s failure to step into the blood-soaked Yelwata community for whatever reason.
“The president should have gone to Yelwata and see the people. He cannot say as a commander-in-chief that there’s a part of the country that’s unreachable for him. People are living there and he left them there; he is responsible for their welfare there. So, I think the notion that merely going to Benue is enough sacrifice is wrong.
“Some of the commentaries there and his own reaction to them did not do anything to suggest to the people that his priorities are with those who have been killed,” he said.
He also condemned the town hall meeting the president had with the Benue people during the visit, saying, “In that hall which looks like a banquet, the whole setting is not the setting you would find for mourning.
According to him, The whole staging of it is not sympathetic enough and is not appropriate enough and that is our understanding of it.
“It did not portray the president as understanding that he should use that visit to clearly identify the problem on ground and indicate some solutions to them even if he doesn’t give all of it.
“So, where you go on an occasion like that, you set the tone; you let the people know that you understand the situation. “The basic thing is that he should realize that those people died because of him; he is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He is the one running the police and the armed forces.
‘If he had done his duty, if the people working for him in uniform and out of uniform had done their duty, that thing would not have happened. So, the first thing he should have done was to take responsibility”, he said.
Adebayo stressed that President Tinubu’s claim of not knowing if arrest had been made demonstrates that he lacks the quality of a good C-in-C.
“It shows that the President may have other good qualities but totally not a good Commander-in-Chief because before you go there you will know whether arrests have been made. This Commander-in-Chief thing is not a joke. It’s not the same thing as being chairman of a party or wearing agbada,” he said.

POLITICS

Osun 2026 Guber: APC Aspirants Should Not Waste Money Contesting Against Adeleke – Ex Party Chieftain, Jackson Ojo

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

A former Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Jackson Lekan Ojo has advised those in the race for the APC ticket not to waste their resources as the victory of Governor Isiaka Adeleke is practically a done deal.

In a video post on his Facebook page, Jackson Ojo said Governor Adeleke has won the heart of the people of his state with his transformation of all the 30 local governments in the State and prompt payment of workers and pensioners.

According to him, the achievements of Governor Adeleke has already done 80 percent of his campaign ahead of the election.

Jackson Ojo, who is a Security Expert and global affairs analyst, from Osun State, stressed that he has always advised political office holders to perform while in office as this is the greatest strategy and tactics to win future elections.

He stressed that the abysmal performance of the APC at the Federal level and the poor performance of previous APC governors in Osun state will count heavily against any candidate that is presented by the party to contest against governor Adeleke.

The former APC chieftain added that he is not patronizing the governor for any personal gain as there is nothing that the governor can give him that God has not already given him.

He stressed that his intervention in the Osun governorship race is to stop opponents of the governor from wasting their resources for an election they can never win.

His words: “Two weeks ago I resigned from partisan politics, so I am no longer member of any political party in Nigeria. When I speak now I am not speaking in favour or against any political party. So, I am very free to air my views

“This is my views on the forthcoming governorship election in Osun state. I still see some people struggling for governor in Osun state come 2026.

“That is highly impossible for an APC aspirant. What is the APC government doing at the national level, what are the doing in the Senate, what are they doing in the House of Representatives to encourage Nigerians?

“If we are in a place like America or United Kingdom (UK) APC will not be able to win ordinary councillorship again in this country. Is it in the management of economy, education, health, security and others?

“In all these areas put together they have not scored up to 10 percent. I can boldly mark them today they they have woefully failed in area of agricultural development, educational development, health development, security, economy and infrastructural development. In all ramifications this party has failed.

“Look at the antecedents of the APC in Osun state. Aregbesola tried a bit, yes, but then Aregbesola left the State aground.

“When Baba Jeje, Mr. Go Slow, the unfortunate Minister of Blue Economy or whatever they call it, came there was nothing to write home about during his tenure as governor of Osun State. He came, he bartered the state, he rubbished the State, he insulted the state, he disgraced the State on the platform of APC.

“Now another APC is coming out now thinking of winning? Winning where, defeat who?

“Governor Adeleke does not know me, there is no benefit Adeleke can give me that God has not given to me. I can’t be a Commissioner in Osun state. No. I can’t be Special Adviser or whatever. I can’t even take their contract. I don’t think they can award the kind of contract that I need to an individual.

“But then, Adeleke has tried. If you go to my community you will see the way he has positively turned the community. Even if I am the governor of Osun State I don’t think I can do what Adeleke has done in my town and that transformation cuts across all the 30 local government areas of Osun State. All the communities, all the local governments, all.

“This man is no longer paying half salary of quarter salary. This man is not owning workers, he is not owning pensioners. This alone has spoken, this alone has done 80 percent of his campaign.

“If you perform well in office that is the highest strategy and tactics that you can use to win the heart of the people.

“Come 2026 whoever is putting money on ground in Osun state to go and contest governorship in Osun state, honestly that person has money to waste. It is sadaka, the money they have stolen they want to come and do sadaka. It is Adeleke till 2030.”

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POLITICS

Former DG of PDP Governors Forum Defects to ADC

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Former Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Hon C.I.D Maduabum has resigned from the party and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In a statement made available to Daily Asset in Abuja on Sunday, Hon Maduabum said he is dumping the PDP because the party has been “hijacked by self-serving, unscrupulous elements who are more interested in personal power grabs than in party discipline, internal democracy, or national interest.

Part of his statement read: “After deep reflection, extensive consultations, and careful evaluation of the current political realities within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I have taken the difficult but necessary decision to resign my membership of the PDP with immediate effect.

“As a committed democrat, a two-term member of the House of Representatives, and former Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, I have dedicated significant portions of my political life to building the PDP as a platform for democratic consolidation and national development.

“However, the soul of the party I once served with pride has been hijacked by self-serving, unscrupulous elements who are more interested in personal power grabs than in party discipline, internal democracy, or national interest.

“The PDP today is a shadow of its former self. It has descended into chaos, internal betrayal, and systematic destruction by diverse forces who have no regard for the principles upon which the party was founded. Sadly, voices of reason are no longer welcome, and genuine reformers are vilified or silenced.

“I can no longer in good conscience remain in a house that has been stripped of its moral compass and overrun by opportunists.

“In light of this, I am proud to announce that I am joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — a party that now stands as the only credible democratic alternative for Nigeria.

“The ADC is emerging as a beacon of hope for good governance, integrity, accountability, and inclusive politics. It offers the opportunity for principled politics, genuine people-oriented leadership, and a platform for rebuilding our nation from the grassroots up.

“The ADC Coalition includes progressive minded people like Mr. Peter Obi and others.

“I join the ADC not merely as a defector but as a reformer committed to helping build a new political culture — one based on merit, ideology, discipline, youth inclusion, and national unity.

“The time has come for all well-meaning Nigerians to take a stand against the decay in our political system. I call on all patriots, especially those disillusioned by the dysfunction in the traditional parties, to rally around this movement for a new Nigeria through the ADC.

“I remain committed to the democratic ideals of justice, equity, and service to the people. The struggle to rescue Nigeria and restore its promise continues — and it begins now on a new, firmer footing.”

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POLITICS

Anambra: INEC Registers 96,085 New Voters, Extends CVR by Three Days

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has registered 96,085 new voters in nine days and extended the exercise by three days in Anambra.

The commission disclosed this in a statement by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, on Thursday in Abuja, after its weekly meeting.

He said that on the preliminary stage of the CVR, 56,017 representing 58 per cent of new registrants were female while 50,429 52 representing 48 per cent were young people between the ages of 18 and 34.

“The commission is pleased with the turnout of registrants in Anambra and the peaceful conduct of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in all the 326 registration centres in the state.

“As of yesterday, Wednesday, 96,085 new voters have successfully registered in nine days. On average, the Commission registered over 10,600 voters per day.

“In addition, 12,595 voters applied for transfer of their registration both within and outside the state while 7,061 persons applied for the update of their records or the replacement of their damaged or lost Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).

“The CVR in Anambra ends today. However, in response to appeal from citizens, the Commission hereby extends the exercise for three more days. It will now end on Sunday, July 20,” he said.

Olumekun said that the commission would thereafter display the register for claims and objections by citizens as provided by law.

This, according to him, will be followed by a further clean-up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

“Subsequently, the detailed breakdown of the new registrants by age, gender, occupation and disability will be published for public information,” he said.

Olumekun also disclosed that INEC had received five more letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties.

According to him, the new application brings the number received so far by the commission to 134.

Olumekun stated that the details of the new associations, indicating their proposed names, acronyms, logos, addresses and interim leaderships were already published on INEC website and other platforms for public information.

He said that INEC would continue to keep the citizens up to date on all its activities.

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