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Jos: Female Air Force Officer, Godos, Murdered In Her Home, Son Kidnapped

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The Source
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Flight Officer Godos

By Gideon Njoku

For the family of a female Air Force Officer, Squadron Leader HE Godos, Friday, 23rd December, will forever remain a day of lamentation, sorrow and tears.

The Rtd Officer, was gruesomely murdered in her home in the Bassa area, near  Rukuba, Jos. She was macheted to death, And, as an added heartbreak, her assassins kidnapped her son.

As if to pour petrol on a raging wild fire, the cruel assassins are asking for the sum of N100m to release the kidnapped young man.

Reacting to Godos gruesome murder, a colleague of hers lamented: “She crossed oceans and seas, and drowned in a flood.

He is correct.

Godos was one of the officers who went for a United Nations Peace Keeping Tour of Duty. Known for her dedication to her job, even though she was from Nasarawa State, she opted to settle in

Plateau State,on retirement.

She had separated from her husband, and so wanted a quiet life, and especially, to enjoy her retirement.

Colleagues say it was one of the reasons she chose to build her house in the Bassa Area, near Rukuba, Jos, a sparsely, quiet built-up area.

Sadly, instead of peace, she suffered a violent death.

According to witnesses, her body was taken to NAF Hospital, Jos, by officers and men of the Operation Safe Heaven, who met her in the pool of her blood.

The NAF authorities in Jos are said to be working round the clock to unravel Godos murder, and are on the trail of her assassins.

At the time of filing this report, there has been no official statement from either the NAF or the Plateau State Police Command.

Wike Seals Atiku’s Campaign Office In Porthacourt

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The Source
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Wike sealed Atiku Campaign office in Porthacourt

By Charles Igbo

Rivers State Government has sealed the Presidential Campaign Office of Atiku Abubakar, the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the February 25, 2023 General elections.

The Office, located at the Government Reserved Area, Porthacourt, was sealed by Government officials in the early hours of Friday, 23rd December, 2022.

To seal the office, the Government cited Executive Order 22, signed by the Governor, Nyesom Wike. which prohibits Political Parties from siting their offices at residential areas without Government permission.

However, PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State said it had, for weeks, applied to the Government for permission, but received no response till date.

It said the Government’s action, “rubs off on its fundamental rights to free expression of interest.”

It added that: “This egregious move by the Rivers State Government, seen in the prism of politics, tends to militarise our democracy, and renders our dear State politically recessive when juxtaposed with other States in the Country.”

For the records, Rivers State is a PDP State. But Governor  Wike has been at loggerheads with the Party Leadership, represented by the National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, and the Presidential candidate, Atiku.

Trouble started when Atiku defeated Wike at the Presidential Primary to clinch the Presidential ticket, and also by-passed him and picked Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.

Since then, Wike has remained inconsolable. He is the leader of four other PDP Governors – Samuel Ortom, Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu, Seye Makinde, Oyo – and a few other Stakeholders, who are insisting that Ayu steps down as National Chairman of the Party.

They argue that it is unfair for both the Chairman and the Candidate to come from the same area – North. They want Ayu to step down for a Southerner, preferably, from the South-west. However the    question to Wike from not a few people is: if he would asked Ayu to step down if he, Wike, had been chosen as Atiku’s running mate.

For months, Wike and his group, formerly known as G-5, but now, Integrity Group, have refused to participate in all PDP activities, including the Presidential Campaign. They have also made it clear, almost, that they would neither vote for Atiku, nor encourage their subjects to do so.

For Wike, any supporter of Atiku is an enemy. Not a few people see the sealing of Atiku’s Presidential Office in Port Harcourt as an extension of the fight against Atiku’s Presidential bid by Wike.

A few days ago, Wike said he would tell Nigerians the Presidential candidate of his choice and direct his people what to do. For good measure, he added: “I will campaign for him nationwide, and nothing will happen.”

Obi To Niger Delta Stakeholders: Nigeria Has Been Unfair To The Region

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The Source
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Peter Obi

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi  took his national campaign tour to Bayelsa State on Friday declaring to Niger Deltans that Nigeria has been unfair to them.

He, however, made a concrete promise that if elected President on February 25, 2023, he will use oil money to rebuild the region.

“Going round the  entire Niger Delta and Bayelsa state in particularly, I stand here to say that Nigeria has not been  fair to the Niger Delta region”

Obi’s position came when he addressed Niger Delta critical stakeholders that comprised traditional  Obidient youths in the area, Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, Pan Niger Delta Forum PANDEF, among others in Yenogoa, Bayeslsa state capital.

On the increasing case of crude oil theft in the region, the LP Presidential flag bearer said, “The oil theft in the Niger Delta is done by government people and their collaborators. Common people don’t own  vessels, you don’t put oil in your pocket. But all these things will stop when you put the right people, people with competence and commitment in government.

The former Anambra State Governor also spoke on the East/ West Road saying, “The East- West  road was flagged of since 1970 by the Federal Government and after 52 years they can’t complete it. I am coming to rebuild Bayelsa and the entire Niger Delta.

Obi who lamented the level of needless poverty in the country said, “We have a population of over 200 million and we have the highest poverty in the world, highest youth unemployment in the world, highest out of school children and so on”

He promised Nigerians that he and his vice presidential candidate, Datti Ahmed if elected will do nothing but to secure and protect Nigeria.

“We must unite this country because we are too divided. We want to ensure that there is a rule of law. We will fight corruption because it is destroying our society. We want to ensure that we remove the country from consumption to production because the country is not producing anything. What they do is sharing.

“Bayelsa state is a riverine area, Bayelsa including all the waters is about 10.7million square meters of land. Borno state is 70.9. So it is 7 times size of Bayelsa state. So is Niger state,  which has more fertile land. But they depend on resources from Bayelsa state.

Obi said his Presidency will make states contribute to the federal purse, because when they contribute we can make more money for the Nigerian state than we make from oil.

According to the LP candidate in a way of illustration, “Land in Niger state is more than the land in Belgium and Netherlands  combined. This 2 countries last year exported agricultural products that is over 10 billion dollars. Niger state can’t feed itself, it can’t export anything. If they will only do they have zero percent of what these two countries did. They will earn 15 billion dollars. And that is more than the money they would have gotten from oil.

“The same in Borno state and so many other states in the North. But they are not doing anything, they are waiting to share from the oil. In Taraba, you can grow flower, coffee and tea. Kenya grow over half a bilion from flower. Ethiopia did over a billion from coffee.  Taraba is waiting to share money from Bayelsa.

“The Federal Government does not know that by cleaning the waters of Bayelsa, putting money in infrastructure in Bayelsa, we can get money out of them, because we would have been making money out of oil and from fish. It is a win-win. We want to change the country. We want to make it productive.

Obi reiterated his earlier statement since the campaign that, “This election shouldn’t be by turn. It is nobody’s  turn. It is the turn of Nigerians to take back our country. If anybody wants to talk about turn, I have the right to talk about turn, but I am not running on turn. I am an Igbo man. I am proud to be an Igbo man but am in this race as a Nigerian carrying a pan-Nigeria ticket.

Fake Caesarean Doctor Arrested In Ondo

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Court
The Law

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Police Command has arrested a fake medical doctor running a clinic in Odigbo local government area of the state.

Public Relations Officer of the command, Funmilayo Odulami – Omissnya, disclosed on Friday that the suspect was nabbed after carrying out surgery on a pregnant woman at his clinic in Orita Ojo.

The police spokesperson explained that “On 20th December, 2022, one Mr. Rabiu Olalekan ‘m’ who has been parading himself as a Medical Doctor and CMD of Iremide Private Hospital, Orita Ojo, in Odigbo Local Government Area was arrested by team of Special Intervention Squad when a report of unprofessionalism was reported against him.

“The suspect carried out a caesarean surgery on a pregnant woman (name withheld) who was later rushed to Mother and Child Hospital due to excessive bleeding from her private part.

“It was discovered that the self-acclaimed Doctor stitched the womb and the urinary tract together.

“During investigation, it was discovered that the suspect is not a Medical Doctor but attended School of Health Technology, Ijebu-Ode where he studied Community Health Extension Worker and has been deceiving the people with being a Medical Doctor.

“He also claimed he invited one Dr. Bayo to help him carryout the caesarean section on the victim, but he does not know the address or contact of the said Doctor as he has lost his phone which was the only means of communicating with the Doctor. He will soon be arraigned in court.”

The Command also arrested other suspects, as explained by the image maker : “On 10th December, 2022, a case of Murder was reported against one Ebine Adeleke ‘m’ Aged 40, at the Police Station.

“Information has it that the suspect and one Surulere Ajayi ‘m’ Aged 32, now deceased ensued in an argument and the suspect became agitated, brought out a knife and stabbed the victim to death.

“On the same vein, on 18th December, 2022, one Abegunde Sarah ‘f’ Aged 50, and Agartha Dare ‘f’ Aged 86 both of the same compound were involved in a fight, the suspect Abegunde Sarah pressed throat of Agartha and pushed her, immediately the deceased became unconscious and died on the spot.

“On 18th December, 2022, at 1100hrs, the Police got an information that vandals were at the Power Station at Omotosho, Ore, who were trying to remove cables from an electric transformer.

“Immediately Policemen attached to the Power Station engaged the vandals and one Aderemi Okiki ‘m’ Aged 21 was arrested.

“During interrogation he confessed that they were three (3) who came for the operation but the others escaped. He also mentioned one Alhaji Magari ‘m’ Aged 57 as the receiver of their stolen goods.

“Items recovered are:  a sack containing cable wires and two cutlasses.

Effort is ongoing to arrest others suspect who are on the run.

The suspect will soon be charged to Court.”

Ondo Gets Third University As State Polytechnic Upgraded

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State government has resolved to upgrade its only polytechnic to a university status.

The institution, named after the late business mogul, Rufus Giwa is located in Owo.

Already the State Government has set up a seven-member committee to facilitate the upgrade of the Polytechnic, to University of Management Sciences and Technology.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Pastor Femi Agagu disclosed in Akure that the state executive council took the decision to convert Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo to a University in line with the Federal Government’s directive that all Polytechnic should either be converted into a University or be affiliated to an existing University.

According to Pastor Agagu, the seven-member committee is chaired by Professor Micheal Favorite, while Mr. Gani Ogundahunsi will serve as the Secretary.

Other members of the committee include: Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim; Pastor Olufemi Agagu; Dr. Olawunmi Ilawole; and Prof Christy Ijagbemi.

With the upgrade, the institution will be the third university owned by Ondo state government. The other two are Adekunle Ajasin University, (AAU) Akungba,  Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology,  Okitipupa.

In another development, the state executive council at its last meeting approved monarchs for five communities.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Akinwumi Sowore disclosed that the council approved warrant chiefs for Igbesi Oloto in Okitipupa local government and Ojuala in Ese Odo local government areas.

The council also approved the appointment of new Alaaye of Aye.

“The council approved the stool of Akunu in Akoko, the Chieftaincy title is Oluwade. All these approvals were given by the council transmission to the ministry for appointments of both the Obas and warrant chiefs.

“It is a landmark achievement for us at the ministry after proper endorsement and clearance from the ministry of Justice.

“The Government is committed to further approval of the chieftaincy in the state as we have massive installation already going on.”

Oodua Nation Agitators Are Day Dreaming, Southwest Believes In Presidency –  Gov Akeredolu

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

Despite rising hope on possible creation of Oodua Nation, Ondo state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has declared that Oodua nation is dead on arrival.

Akeredolu, who is Chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum on Friday warned those agitating for Oodua Nation to perish the thought.

Governor Akeredolu said many lives have been laid down for the unity of the country, vowing that states in the Southwest will not allow any agitation that will scuttle the sacrifices of the Nation’s heros.

The Governor spoke at the Launching of Emblem Appeal to flag off the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebrations in Akure.

The event also had in attendance the  Acting Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola; members of the State Executive Council led by the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu; heads of security agencies; representative of the Deji of Akure, legions and widows of the fallen heroes among others.

Akeredolu, who stressed that the country is too important to him and his administration, said no sit-at-home order will be tolerated in any state in the Southwest.

“Those clamouring for Oodua nation will not succeed. People have not laid down their lives for this country for unscrupulous individuals to scuttle it. This country is very important to some of us.

“We recognize the right of the people to protest or agitate. But if the police feel your actions are treasonable, they will arrest and prosecute you.

“It is not at this stage in the history of this country that we will repeat IPOB in Yoruba land. Opportunity beacons at us. We cannot afford to throw away that opportunity.

“We must work to ensure that there is power shift. The opportunity for presidency to come to the south, especially the Southwest, is around the corner.

“We will not sit down and support anyone clamouring for Oodua nation. We will not support it. We have fought for this with everything we had. Nigeria will be good.

“The security agencies will checkmate these unscrupulous enemies embarking on such frivolous activities.

“We have responsibilities now to soberly reflect on the plight of those who have laid down their lives and those who are still laying down their lives for the unity and peace of this country.”

At the ceremony, Governor Akeredolu particularly saluted the selfless and sacrificial services of the fallen heroes who had laid down their lives in wars and peacekeeping missions around the world, and those currently serving, day and night, to guarantee the peace and unity of the country.

Governor Akeredolu also expressed his belief that special recognition and appreciation must be accorded the gallant military men who had been involved in the war against Boko Haram, other forms of terrorists activities, banditry and insurgencies in the Northeast, Northwest and other parts of the country and who had in the process, paid the supreme sacrifice.

He reassured that his administration will continue to work with governmental, Non-Governmental Organisations, officers and men of the Armed Forces and the Legion to ensure an improved welfare for Legionnaires, widows and dependants of departed ones in the State.

The Governor equally used the opportunity to appreciate the Nigerian Legion for their steadfastness, perseverance and exemplary conducts as they continue to make meaningful contributions to the growth and development of the country, particularly in the area of security.

Governor Akeredolu disclosed that the current daring posture of the enemies of the country, which has cost the nation the lives of many of our gallant soldiers, is highly condemnable, stressing that the sustained effort of the officers and men has greatly checkmated the threat by the unscrupulous elements.

“Without the sacrifice and commitment of these officers and men of the Armed Forces, it would have been a matter of time before the whole country is overrun.

“The month-long Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration is, therefore, a golden opportunity for government and the society at large to empathize and associate with widows and relations of our fallen heroes, especially those that were cut down in their prime.

“The onus is on us to soberly reflect on the plight of these categories of people and resolve to ensure that they live socially acceptable lives.

“It should be noted that the major reason for the Emblem Appeal Fund is to provide financial and material support to families of the fallen heroes as well as veterans who survived various military operations with some sustaining varying degrees of injuries that had rendered them incapacitated.

“There is nothing too good or too much that we can offer that could replace the precious lives lost or remedy the deprivations and untold hardship suffered by the dependants of these heroes.

“We must, however, at all times and at every opportunity, give our financial and moral support so that those still alive and serving will be encouraged to give their best in the service of our dear fatherland,” he added.

Governor Akeredolu enjoined Local Government Councils to celebrate the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day by purchasing and selling the emblems and equally donate generously to the cause.

He also urged government functionaries, corporate organisations, good spirited individuals and Non-Governmental Organisations in the State to donate generously towards this noble cause and purchase the remembrance emblem.

Benue: Catholic Priest Abducted By Unknown Gunmen

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Reverend Father Mark Ojotu

By Ayodele Oni

Members of Catholic faith in Okpoga community in Benue state may celebrate Christmas without their priest.

This is because Reverend Father Mark Ojotu, Chaplain of St Mary’s Hospital, Okpoga, in Okpokwu Local Government area of Benue State, has been reportedly kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

It was learnt that the incident, which happened on Thursday when the people were preparing for celebration, had plunged residents of the community into panic.

A statement issued by the Diocesan Chancellor, Rev Fr Joseph Aboyi Itodo, said the Bishop of Otukpo Catholic Diocese, His Excellency, Most Rev Fr Michael Apochi, has called on Christian faithful across the country to pray for the quick and safe release of the priest.

Venue south senatorial district has witnessed series of high profile kidnapping since the beginning of the year.

The Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, late Rev Fr John Adeyi, was kidnapped from the same parish in Okpoga in 2016 by assailants who later killed him.

CBN: N500m New Notes Ready Soon, Takes Steps Against Counterfeiting

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

As part of the naira redesign policy, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has disclosed that N500 billion will be printed and circulated in the economy.

Godwin Emefiele the CBN Governor made this known when he met with members by house of Representatives in Abuja on Thursday.
Represented by Aisha Ahmad, the CBN boss stated that the new notes were ordered from the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Limited.
The CBN Governor also spoke on a wide range of issues such the problem of fake currency, POS operators, e-naira, agency banking etc, and the suggestion that the redesigning policy has political undertones.
He said efforts are particularly on to address the problem of fake currency, noting that the apex bank cannot disclose what is being done publicly for security reasons.

On fake currency the CBN Governor said “We are doing a lot of sensitization because we believe that sensitization can’t just be the newspapers, the television and radio. We need to go into the rural areas, and the markets and use people in the communities to actually drive home the message. It takes time but over time it improves.”

On the payment system he said, “we have a very robust payment system that includes bank branches, branches of micro-finance banks, POS machines, ATM machines, agent banking, E-Naira and many other options. To be specific, between the bank and the micro-finance banks, we have 6,500 locations, 900,000 POS terminals, 14,000 ATMs across the country and 1.4 million agents nationwide and every single local government in Nigeria has an agent represented. We also have a proliferation of electronic transactions. Just by way of a quick example, in 2012, we had N48 billion in POS transactions. Today, we have N6 trillion in POS transactions.

“On electronic transfers, we had N3 trillion in 2012. Today, we have 300 trillion as of October 2022. That’s a 7,000 per cent increase. We have also seen an improvement in financial inclusion to 54.1 per cent and lastly, perhaps, more importantly, we have seen the evolution of the Nigerian payment system on the global stage. Nigeria is judged 6th in the world for instant real payment and we are only behind countries like India, China, Thailand, Brazil and South Korea. We are the only African country in the top 10 and this has been a result of some of the initiatives that have gone on. Also, electronic payments and real-time data payments have been estimated to contribute about 0.67 per cent to our GDP.

“Going to the cash withdrawal limit that was issued in response to the feedback from Nigerians in response to the comments made by this revered chamber, we took those feedback on board. CBN mentioned that we will be flexible in the implementation of this policy in response to the stakeholders’ sentiments. We have since reviewed the limit significantly from N100,000 that we had per week to N500,000 per week for individuals; from N500,000 per week for corporate to N5 million per week for corporate. We have also amended the processing from 5 and 10 per cent downward to 3 and 5 per cent.

“We have clarified the strategic importance of agents as important participants in the financial system because they play a key role in certain underserved segments in the rural areas and in certain market areas and they as well would be covered by this newly revised rule.

“Just to roundup, I thought it was important Mr Speaker, to give some justifications as to why these limits are required now and why it is time for us to get cashless nationwide.

“The data available to us shows that 94 per cent of all cash transactions fall below the N500,000 limit and this includes areas in the country that are not part of the cashless policy. 82 per cent of corporate transactions also are below this limit.

“What does this mean? It means that 94 per cent of all individual transactions will not be affected by this fee that we have talked about.

“I have seen some misconceptions about the fees that we are charging the fees on the entire amount that wants to be withdrawn. No. The fees are to be charged on any withdrawal above the limit. For example, if you are withdrawing N550,000, the fee will be on the N50,000.

*We also looked at transactions for agents. So, for transactions by Nigerians that go to the agent’s location and transactions by the agents themselves, the average cash transaction of agents is N2,184,000 which is clearly within the current limit.

“The average transaction per individual that walks up to an agent is about N18,000. What the policy is trying to do is to encourage more people to come into the formal payment system because of the numerous benefits that accrue.

“It means opening up our rural areas, the underserved areas to economic opportunity, to payment opportunities and connecting them to the formal system.”

“During the COVID-19 period, we saw the negative impact of physical cash. No one could go anywhere. We couldn’t go to the banks. People couldn’t leave their homes. It was the electronic banking system that protected and served those below the poverty lines that had their

2023 Budget: Why Buhari Will Delay Signing

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the 2023 Appropriation Bill after the Christmas holiday for him to sign.

The National Assembly had planned to send the bill to the president for his signature before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

But that’s no longer feasible sources in NASS said.

The development is contrary to the earlier promise by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, that the Bill will be forwarded to Buhari on Thursday for Buhari to sign.

What this means, financial experts say is that the January-December budget cycle can no longer be maintained.

For instance, after the Bill is passed to the president, the budget of some relevant ministries and parastatals  would still have to scscrutinise before the president spends his signature.

Nigeria Is A Failed State Today But I Will Turn It Around – Peter Obi

By
The Source
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0
Peter Obi

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has said that Nigeria is a failed state today but he and his running mate are in the race for the Presidency to rescue and turn it around.

Obi told a large crowd of supporters in Port Harcourt, Rivers state that he used  transforming and turning around failed businesses and if elected by February 25, 2023 he and Yusuf Datti Ahmad will turn Nigeria around.

“Datti Ahmed and I are not in this business for anything, we are committed to building, a new Nigeria that is possible.  Hold us responsible, we are prepared for the job.”

In a response to a question from an Obidient, he said, “Somebody asked me today, with all these monies  they have stolen how would you transform Nigeria, and I said, I have turned around failed businesses; Nigeria is a failed country , give it to us we will turn it around. We want Nigerians to hold us responsible for turning around this country.

“I am not looking for anything. I have been a governor for 8 years. I didn’t owe salary or gratuity or pension, but I left 150 million dollars and 30 billion naira. Go to Anambra State, if you see one piece of land allocated to Peter Obi,  the wife or anybody close to me, I will stop running”

Obi reiterated his earlier position that next year’s election would not be on my turn, tribe or religion but to be based on the character we can trust, who has capacity, and competence.

The LP candidate told the jubilant crowd that his desire is, “to build a society where people will be secured, where a child of nobody will be able to be president of this country.

According to the former Anambra state Governor, time is now to change this country, “We must vote for someone with competence, someone with capacity and capability. This job is a job for people with physical and mental energy, not retirement home”

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Bar Julius Abure who also addressed the rally said that 2023 Presidential election offers Nigerians the opportunity and time  “to recover our country from those who have put us in poverty, in hunger and unemployment. Therefore, the choice we must make in 2023 is Labour Party and Peter Obi.

He reminded Nigerians that why the country has failed and why Nigerians have been suffering is because, “we have been voting for the wrong people. It is now time for us to vote the right people who will recover this country again”

The high points of the well attended rally was the performance of the musical sensation, P-Square, who were on hand to entertain the crowd of supporters and Obidient members who thronged Yakubu Gowon stadium for the flag-off campaign.

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