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How NDLEA Nabbed Pretty Mike

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu - Pretty Mike

By Adesina Soyooye

A Lagos-based  socialite and nightclub owner, Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, has been arrested by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

Popular as Pretty Mike, he was arrested in a-wee-hour raid at his Night Club, Proxy Nightclub, Victoria Island, Lagos,  alongside Tuoyo Ideh,  a former  BB Housemate. Also arrested were  more than 100 guests during the midnight raid at the Nightclub.

In a statement signed by NDLEA’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and posted on its website  Sunday the Agency  alleged that many cartons of banned substances, including Loud and laughing gas, were recovered from the Nightclub.

The statement said NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence and infiltrated the club around 11 pm Saturday, based on standard operating procedures, and  swooped on the party at about 3.00.am.

The statement reads:

“In Lagos, NDLEA operatives in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, raided Proxy Night club at 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, where a drug party was going on. Over 100 suspects, including the owner of the club, Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, alias Pretty Mike, were arrested and taken into custody for screening. Cartons of illicit substances, including Loud and laughing gas, were recovered from suspects at the party and the club’s store.

“The raid followed intelligence about the drug party. NDLEA operatives who were embedded in the party between 11 pm on Saturday, 25th October, however, disrupted the gathering at 3 am on Sunday, 26th October based on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).”

Confirming his arrest, Tuoye who confirmed his arrest  on his Instagram page Sunday lamented his ordeal and expressed displeasure at his arrest.

“I have been arrested by the NDLEA from a night club in Lagos for basically doing nothing at all since around 4 am, they made us sit down like criminals, we over 150 people here up till now, that were carried to NDLEA head quarters Ikoyi, we didn’t commit any crime, they came with guns inside and the club and told everyone to lie down”, he wrote.

In another development, the NDLEA  disclosed  at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, it  intercepted 70 parcels of cocaine concealed inside cocoa butter body cream containers bound for London, United Kingdom.

The weight of the Cocaine, discovered on October 14, 2025, weighed 3.6kg and was discovered during the examination of cargoes declared as personal effects and scheduled to be exported on an Air Peace flight to London.

Lawal Mustapha Olakunle, the Cargo Agent, who brought the consignment for airfreighting was arrested. Investigations conducted over two weeks led to the arrest of two other suspects, a female healthcare worker, Ogunmuyide Taiwo Deborah, and the Chief Executive Officer of a travel agency, Mutiu Adebayo Adebiyi.

Said the NDLEA:

“The cocaine consignments weighing 3.60 kilograms were discovered on 14th October 2025 during examination of cargoes packaged as personal effects going to London, UK on an Air Peace flight. A cargo agent, Lawal Mustapha Olakunle, who presented the consignment for airfreight, was promptly arrested while investigations stretching into two weeks led to the arrest of two principal suspects linked to the attempt to export the concealed Class A drug to the UK.

“In a follow-up operation on 18th October, a female healthcare worker, Ogunmuyide Taiwo Deborah, was arrested, following which Mutiu Adebayo Adebiyi, the Chief Executive Officer of a travel agency, Mutiu Adebiyi & Co, was arrested at his 23 Ladoke Akintola Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos office on Monday 20th October.”

In a similar operation, NDLEA officers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, foiled an attempt by a 35-year-old Lesotho national, Lemena Mark, to smuggle 103.59 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a Diabeta herbs coffee tea pack to the Philippines on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on October 22.

Babafemi said that the suspect was arrested at the airport and the illicit substance recovered.

In Kwara State, the agency intercepted 21,950 capsules of tramadol 250mg hidden inside a 100-litre water heater. Umar Abubakar,  the suspect, aged 40, was, based on credible intelligence,  arrested on October 21 at Bode Saadu, Moro Local Government Area.

And, in Taraba State, “two suspects — Auwal Musa, 26, and Salihu Bala, 22 — were arrested on October 21 with 450,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 at the Dan-anacha checkpoint.

“The drugs were being conveyed in a truck loaded with building materials from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mubi, Adamawa State.

Along the Okene/Lokoja highway in Kogi State, officers seized 162.2kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a truck on October 24. Another 128kg of the same substance was recovered from a suspect, Abubakar Muhammad, 55, in Keffi, Nasarawa State, on October 22.

“In Lagos, a mother of two, identified as Oyonumoh Glory Effiong, described as a major distributor of high-grade cannabis known as Loud across Lekki, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ajah, and VGC, was arrested on October 17 during a raid at her Lekki home, where 500 grams of the substance were recovered.

“In another Lagos operation, NDLEA officers raided the home of a suspect, Ogunyabo Adenigbigbe, at Solomade Estate, Ikorodu, where 275 litres of skuchies — a cocktail of blackcurrant drink, cannabis, and opioids — were recovered.

Also, a 75-year-old grandfather, Echendu Onuoka, was arrested with 4.7kg of skunk at Ovum village, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, while a 60-year-old woman, Aukana John, was arrested with 225 grams of the same substance at Apanta village in the same area.”

Three Ondo Amotekun Officers Declared Wanted

By
Ayodele Oni
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Amotekun Corps

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Security Network agency codenamed Amotekun corps, has suspended three of its officers for alleged gross misconduct capable of undermining the security of the state.

The suspended officers are; Abu Taiwo, Akinsipe Victor and Ekujumi Julius.

The State Commander of the corps, Adetunji Adeleye who announced this in Akure on Monday during the parade of four suspected criminals, said the agency also declared the officers wanted as they are currently on the run.

Adeleye noted that the suspension would enable the agency to carry out proper investigations into allegations levelled against the officers.

Adeleye explained that “every organization has its own rules, the Ondo State Security Network Agency is not an exception.

“The law setting up the Corps specifically says the Corps should give out identity cards and warrant cards for operatives who are full staff of the government as an agency.”

It was however gathered that the affected officers took to the social media agitating for their appointment letters two years after they were signed in.

Adeleye pointed out that “You will observe that at the time when there are pressing need for the Corps to come together and continue to work assiduously to ensure that the security of the state is not compromised, it is when our intelligence showed that the trio ; Abu Taiwo, Akinsipe Victor, Ekinjumi Julius have been sponsored not only to undermine and disparage the management of the Corps but totally to distract the attention of the Corps from its core mandate of the provision of security to lives and property.

“All that you had seen on the social media on the 15 points they raised are all false allegations and disciplinary actions had been put in place by the Corps.

“And as we stand today, the three of them had been reprimanded. They are also declared wanted and due diligence in handling such in a security environment where oaths of allegiance and secrecy to the state cannot be thrown away will be used.

” We refused to be dragged into the controversies surrounding each and every one of them.

“But the fact remains that they are acting in isolation and the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps remains solid as you can see the entire management staff in ensuring that we are not distracted. They are acting in isolation.

“The three of them have been suspended from the Corps and we are looking for them to come and answer as a way of giving them free access to criminal justice.

“If they are innocent, everybody will see. But the Corps as an entity will not be dragged into social media controversy with such people that are acting in isolation, especially now that we are sure and we have proof to show that they are being sponsored.”

On the four suspects paraded, the Amotekun commander said they were apprehended in connection with stealing of government’s property and kidnapping activities at a village in Akure North.

“Today we are parading four notorious suspects, in addition to that, we have another six sets of criminals that were arrested in the last two weeks in Ondo State in connection with robbery and kidnapping.

“For the fact that we had not concluded investigation on those, so they will not be paraded.

“For the four that we are parading today, we have Ogungbemi Adebayo who confessed voluntarily that he is an informant to kidnappers in Ademekun power line at Agodada camp.

Meanwhile, the wife of one of the officer of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, has raised an alarm over the sudden disappearance of her husband after he was allegedly invited by the Corps Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, for a meeting.

According to the distraught woman, her husband, Victor Temitope Akinshepe, was invited for what was described as a “peaceful meeting” regarding his appointment letter on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

She stated that he left home to honour the invitation, but has not been seen or heard from since that day.

According to her,  efforts by family members and colleagues to trace his whereabouts have so far proved unsuccessful.

She said the meeting was related to agitations among some officers demanding formal appointment letters from the state government.

“My husband told me the Commandant called them for a meeting to settle the issue of appointment letters. He left home for the meeting and since then, I have not seen or heard from him.”

CNPP, Groups Demand Probe Of Sacked Service Chiefs

By
The Source
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Comrade James Ezema

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and over 75 civil society organisations (CSOs) under the umbrella of the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) have commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his bold decision to sack the non-performing Service Chiefs, describing the move as long overdue but better late than never.

In a joint statement signed by Comrade James Ezema, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, National Secretary of the CNCSOs, the coalition stated that the persistence of insecurity across Nigeria’s land and territorial waters throughout the tenure of the former Service Chiefs was undeniable evidence of incompetence, poor coordination, and policy failure.

“From the forests of Zamfara to the highways of Abuja–Kaduna, the creeks of the Niger Delta to the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, insecurity flourished under their watch. Kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and piracy became daily realities for Nigerians. Entire communities were displaced, farmlands abandoned, and ancestral lands seized by non-state actors. Their removal was not just necessary — it was inevitable,” the statement declared.

While acknowledging that the decision to remove them came later than it should have, the CNPP and CNCSOs applauded President Tinubu for finally acting in the national interest and urged the new Service Chiefs to “hit the ground running” with fresh energy, new strategies, and measurable results.

“The President’s action rekindles hope that the government is now ready to match political will with decisive leadership in the war against insecurity. Nigerians, however, will not celebrate mere appointments; they expect swift, visible improvements in safety across the country,” the coalition stated.

The groups also called for an immediate and comprehensive probe of the tenure of the sacked Service Chiefs, alleging that their years in office were marked not only by persistent insecurity but also by opaque defence expenditures and poor accountability in military operations.

“The Nigerian people deserve to know how trillions of naira budgeted for defence and internal security were spent while insecurity worsened. We call on President Tinubu to immediately constitute an independent panel to investigate the activities, procurements, and command decisions of the former Service Chiefs to determine whether negligence, corruption, or complicity contributed to the sustained insecurity that ravaged the country under their leadership,” the statement demanded.

“There can be no meaningful reform without accountability. Those who failed the nation must explain why Nigerians remained unsafe in their homes, highways, and waterways despite huge investments in the defence sector,” it added.

While urging the newly appointed Service Chiefs to learn from their predecessors’ failures, the CNPP and CNCSOs also called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s internal security system, with special emphasis on restoring the central role of the Nigeria Police Force in domestic security management.

“The police must not continue to exist merely as a protest control unit while the military performs internal security functions that should constitutionally belong to the police. A weak police force translates into weak internal security. The time has come for President Tinubu to empower, reform, and reposition the police as the lead agency in maintaining law and order,” the coalition emphasised.

The statement further advocated the institutionalisation of community policing through necessary constitutional and Police Act amendments, ensuring that security becomes people-driven and rooted in grassroots intelligence gathering.

“Community policing is not just desirable; it is essential. Security must begin from the people, not from the barracks. The government must bring policing closer to the citizens to build trust, cooperation, and resilience against crime,” the statement noted.

Reaffirming their commitment to supporting genuine government efforts to restore peace, the CNPP and CNCSOs stressed that Nigerians have endured too much pain to continue tolerating excuses or mediocrity in the security sector.

“President Tinubu has taken the right step by sacking those who failed to deliver. The next step is to probe their stewardship, rebuild the police, and empower the new security leadership to restore peace, unity, and confidence in the Nigerian state,” the statement concluded.

Signed:
Comrade James Ezema
Deputy National Publicity Secretary,
Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP)

Alhaji Ali Abacha
National Secretary,
Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs)

Dangote Refinery Moves Up To 1.4m bpd

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Dangote Refinery

Billionaire Aliko Dangote has announced his plan to make his $20 billion Petrochemical Refinery in Lagos worlds’ largest by increasing production from its current 650, 000 barrel per day to 1.4 million per day.

Currently, the Jamnagar Refinery in India, with 1,240,000 barrels per day, is the largest refinery in the world. But the President of Dangote Group said the Indian Refinery will be toppled  soon with the ongoing Dangote Refinery expansion.

The businessman was recently accused by the National Union of Petroleum Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG of importing Indians into the country, to take over jobs meant for Nigerians. The company has denied the allegation.

One of the top executives in the Refinery is an Indian man, Devakumar V.G Edwin who holds the position of Vice President responsible for the Group’s Oil & Gas business, which includes the refinery.

Edwin previously served as Group chief executive officer of Dangote Cement Plc and has a long history with the company since joining in 1992.

Dangote however did not give a timeline for his ambitious plan, he said the focus now is to cater for Africa’s  requirements.

The Africa’s Richest Man made the announcement in Lagos on Sunday, few days after Bloomberg announced that he retained his position as the Continent’s number one Billionaire with a combined wealth of over $30 billion. He’s now the 75th richest man in the world.

According to the publication, Dangote’s fortunes rose by $2.25 billion to $30.3 billion as of October 24,  making him the only African among top 100 world billionaires.

According to him, the facility will also expand the production of polypropylene from 900,000 metric tonnes to 2.4 million metric tonnes per annum.

“We are expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day.

“Upon completion, this will make it the largest refinery in the world, surpassing the Jamnagar Refinery in India,” he stated.

Meanwhile, analysts insist that his surging fortune may not be unconnected with a period of aggressive expansion by his flagship company, Dangote Industries subsidiaries. Just recently, Dangote Cement, one of his subsidiaries, officially launched operations in Attingué, Côte d’Ivoire.

The new plant, which spans 50 hectares, boasts a production capacity of 3 million tonnes of cement annually, cementing Dangote’s dominance in Africa’s construction materials market.

Back in Nigeria, the Dangote Refinery in lagos has establisehd itself as the mjor player in the nation’s energy sector.

The $20 billion refinery, inaugurated in May 2023 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, began production in January 2024 after overcoming crude supply challenges. The refinery, with a 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity, is one of the largest single-train facilities in the world and sits on 2,635 hectares of land in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria’s economic powerhouse.

Demolition: Residents Lament Flouted Court Order

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Demolition of Houses in Oworonshoki

By Akinwale Kasali

Hundreds of residents were rendered homeless following the midnight demolition of homes despite a subsisting court injunction halting the exercise.

It was gathered that, at least, two bulldozers were deployed to the community for the demolition exercise, accompanied by a large number of police officers.

According to residents, over 50 armed policemen fired teargas through the night to disperse those attempting to resist the demolition. They claimed the operation had continued till the early hours of Sunday morning.

It was gathered that over 70 houses across Ajileru, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Streets were pulled down in what authorities described as part of a regeneration plan.

It was gathered that Justice A.G. Balogun of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja had, on October 23, issued an interim injunction restraining the demolition of properties belonging to members of the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Association, CDA.

Despite this ruling, human rights group Amnesty International condemned what it called “violent forced evictions,” stating that some houses were demolished while families were still inside. The group urged authorities to stop “punishing the poor for urban planning failures.”

Leaders of the affected community have branded the act a “gross violation of judicial authority” and vowed to initiate contempt proceedings.

Some residents have accused the Oba of Oworonshoki, Oba Babatunde Saliu, of supporting the demolition to reclaim waterfront lands allegedly meant for private development.

However, the monarch has denied any involvement, stating that he too had previously suffered losses from a similar government-led exercise.

“I was also a victim when I unknowingly built on land that had been acquired by the government. I have no hand in any demolition,” he said.

The Baale of Oworonshoki, Chief Olorunwa Luwa, also condemned the ongoing exercise, insisting it was not sanctioned by any government authority.

Luwa said, “If this were a government-approved operation, it wouldn’t happen at midnight or 3 a.m. People with genuine property documents are losing their homes in this lawless exercise,” he said.

A resident, Olanrewaju Segun, stated that the demolition exercise took place without the marking of any building.

“We quickly mobilised and stopped them, and that was how they left in the morning. But we didn’t know they would return at midnight,” he said.

Another resident, a pregnant woman named Adenike, described a terrifying escape. “We thought the court had stopped the demolition, but around 1 a.m., bulldozers came again. I ran barefoot with my children. We lost everything,” she said tearfully.

Adewale Thomas, a displaced Lanlord wept uncontrollably saying, “Our homes were demolished while we were asleep, despite the injunction.

“Families, including children, slept outside in the cold”, he stated.

15 Rescued With Varying Degree Of Injuries As Building Collapses In Lagos

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Building Collapse in Lagos

By Akinwale Kasali

There was pandemonium in the early hours of Monday as a-two storey building on 54, Cole Street, near Cemetery Bus Stop in the Oyingbo area of the State collapsed.

According to a situation report issued by Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the building caved in around 12:20 a.m. while residents were asleep.

Adeseye said firefighters from the Sari-Iganmu Fire Station were immediately dispatched to the scene following a distress call.

As the officials embarked on a rescue mission, 15 people were rescued.

They include;  seven men, four Women, and four children — with varying degrees of injuries.

They were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, and the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.

The search and rescue operations are still ongoing as more victims are feared trapped under the rubble.

Building collapses continue to be a recurring tragedy in Lagos, which often time attributed to the weak enforcement of building regulations, the use of substandard materials, and inadequate structural supervision.

72 hours ago, tragedy Tragedy struck late Friday night when a three-storey building under construction collapsed at No. 333 Borno Street, Alagomeji, in the Yaba area of Lagos State, leaving two people dead and several others injured.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, the Acting Head of the Lagos Command of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ibitayo Adenike, said that emergency responders recovered two male bodies while four men were rescued alive and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

According to Adenike, the structure collapsed around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, trapping several workers beneath the debris. She added that the exact number of people still trapped could not be determined until the site was fully cleared.

Emergency agencies, including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), and the Nigeria Police Force, were on the ground to coordinate rescue efforts.

It would be recalled that in November 2021, a 21-storey building under construction in Ikoyi collapsed, killing at least 42 people, while another four-storey building in Yaba came down in September 2025, claiming multiple lives.

Terrorism Trial: Kanu Dumps Self-defence,  Insists He Has No Case To Answer, Judge Adjourns

By
Ayodele Oni
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Nnamdi Kanu
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

By Ayodele Oni

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, again on Monday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, refused to open his defence as earlier ordered by the court.

He also has abandoned earlier plan to call witnesses in his defence in the ongoing trial for alleged terrorism offences.

The court had, on October 24, adjourned till October 27 for Kanu to open his defence. Kanu had written the court, indicating his intention to call witnesses and applied for witness summons.

When the case was called on Monday, Kanu said he has gone through the case-file and realised that there is no valid charge against him.

He argued that since he is convinced that there is no valid charge against him and that he was subjected to unlawful trial , there would no be need for him to conduct any defence.

Justice James Omotosho asked him to file a written address to that effect and serve the prosecution.

Justice Omotosho advised him to consult experts in criminal law on the consequences of the option he has chosen.

The Judge adjourned till 4th ,5th & 6th November for the adoption of the final written addresses based on the defendant’s position that evidence led so far and the charge have not established any case against him or for the defendant to enter his defence.

Ondo Set To Confront Any Security Threat – Gov Aiyedatiwa

By
Ayodele Oni
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Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa has again assured residents of the State not to exercise any fear over security alarm as government is ready to confront swiftly any threat.

The Governor had last week convened an emergency high-level State Security Council meeting in a decisive move to address public concerns and reinforce government’s readiness to confront any threat head-on.

This followed a leaked intelligence report from the State Security Services, (SSS) to the effect that some armed bandits have concluded arrangement to launch attacks on some states including Ondo.

According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Ebenezer Adeniyan, Aiyedatiwa made it clear that the security and stability of Ondo State are non-negotiable, emphasizing that his administration will respond swiftly, firmly, and effectively to any attempt to undermine the peace of the State.

Receiving the Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Prof. Abubakar Ahmed, in Akure, the governor said since its establishment, the NSCDC has continued to live up to task on internal security, especially in preventing oil theft and pipeline vandalisation.

Governor Aiyedatiwa, who said Ondo State has had its share of security challenges in recent past, added that no State is completely immune from threats, but security agencies in the State have been up to the task.

He stressed that the recently leaked intelligence report from one security agency to another “shows that our security agencies are working together and collaborating effectively to secure our communities and our people.”

The Governor promised to continue to give the needed support to the security agencies in the State as encouragement for the wonderful jobs they are doing.

He commended the security chiefs for their comprehensive briefings and assured them that the state government will provide the necessary logistics, intelligence support, and operational backing required to stay ahead of any potential threat.

Earlier, the NSCDC  Commandant commended Governor Aiyedatiwa, for his support for the operations of security agencies in the State.

The NSCDC boss disclosed that Governor Aiyedatiwa is one of the very few governors offering operational support to the Corps, which has strengthened the partnership between the government and security agencies in the State.

He said: “Your Excellency, I am in Ondo State for operational activities and it is important for me to pay you a visit to appreciate all your efforts towards enhancing the security of this State.

“I can say that just like your predecessor, late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu did, you are one of the few governors in Nigeria that we have identified as giving tremendous support for our operations.

“In doing this, you have demonstrated exceptional leadership and all we can do is to continue to support the government in providing adequate security for the people of Ondo State.

“We are here on the ground to access the situation and to further motivate our men who are working very hard. We are satisfied with what we have seen so far and we will continue to collaborate with the government and other security agencies to enhance the security and safety of the people and national assets domiciled in Ondo State”

OPINION: Atiku And His 1001 Marabouts

By
The Source
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Steve Osuji and Atiku Abubakar

By Steve Osuji

The way of marabouts: Let’s put this in perspective. Taking some insightful liberties is a part of the tools of this writing trade, so we say upfront that ATIKU actually may not have  1001 marabouts serenading him right now. At least EXPRESSO hasn’t counted them, but the story over the years  has always been that this is the season of the wizened clerics and quasi-soothsayers in the camp of the Khalifa.

It’s a well known tale that Abubakar Atiku, also known as the Khalifa by his acolytes, loves the counsel of hooded imams and otherworldly men at a time like this when crucial political decisions are to be taken.

With the race for the 2027 presidential election heating up, it is said that this time, it’s not just marabouts from Nigeria who are at work but an expanded shroud of  crouching denizens from some West African countries, the sahel and as far away as the Arabia.

It’s like a coven of guiding spirits meeting minds and helping the Khalifa think through what’s probably the most important decision of his life so far. Of course, Atiku has been under immense pressure not to run this time.

More perspectives: most ordinary minds would suffer rapid palpitations on hearing the word: Marabouts. But these are basically Islamic clerics, usually advanced in age, who have mastered not just the Qur’an, but the art of life and living. They are leaders and influencers in their communities and spheres of authority where official bureaucracy is often absent or in retreat.

They are also mediators, magicians and even mandators at a time a metal fist may be necessary last resort for a desired result.

In other words, marabouts are not merely guileful soothsayers, but much more.

LIKE MARABOUTS, LIKE MOMODU: Marabouts are  basically advisers to power. But the snag is that many of them make-believe that they’re possessed of extra terrestrial powers or that they know much more than they let on.

But EXPRESSO wagers that most of them are con artists, confidence tricksters and people beholden to power and powerful men.

Nigeria’s entertainer, PRman and media impresario, Dele Momodu may be likened to a marabout of sorts.

The difference is that while the one is provincial and scruffy in his shawls, the other is often decked in designer dresses.

While the rustic marabout probably still rides in donkeys and camels in his dusty domain, Momodu would fly first class or private jet. He would live in five-star accommodations, do five-star dinners and leisure all on the bill of his client.

But let it be known that the bush marabout is true and beautiful in his monasterial living, in his relentless search through the Word and for wisdom. He fasts, he prays, he speaks softly. In fact, some of them could dig up some spiritual substance if they are not overawed by little god’s like the Khalifa whom they have elevated to the status of deity.

It’s said that Atiku regards a marabout more than a Harvard professor of Economics.

And they know exactly what to tell him:

“O Khalifa, the crown is on your head!

Unlike the other time, this time, it’s pure gold of Arabian hue. And, bless your soul, it sits magnificently on your head as if you were born with it!

” O Khalifa, the crown on your head is your destiny, not even you can help it…”

On and on, they would croon unsolicitedly, each time they set their eyes on him!

No human can survive such an evisceration of the mind. Not in the least ambitious Atiku.

But metro marabouts, not unlike Momodu (Reno Omokri, Daniel Bwalya, Ken Okonkwo and their ilk) sometimes turn out quite stressful to their clients. More loathsome, however, is that they come with unduly heavy emotional and financial invoices.

They don’t come cheap; they also get into trouble as they all too often, trip on political landmines.

For instance, Momodu raised the hackles of opponents and supporters of his principal recently when he suggested that Peter Obi and Goodluck Jonathan had already lost the cause as President Bola Tinubu had hijacked the entire South of Nigeria. Haba!

This singular statement rankled the APC strategists, unsettled OBiDIENTS and angered the GEJ group. Why would anyone turpedo the coalition before it has formed?

Such zealotry comes with being the unreflective urban marabout with eyes more on his bank balance.

The urban marabouts are rogue advisors who are duodenal and think through their tummies. For why in the world would a Momodu with all his supposed learnings be rooting for an ailing 80-year-old to preside over Nigeria in 2027?!

We witnessed Buhari preside from London hospitals; today Tinubu virtually operates from French health facilities yet Momodu is angling for Atiku to rule Nigeria from luxurious Dubai hospice! He doesn’t give a hoot about Nigeria, about you and I or even posterity, like his grandchildren. All Momodu cares about is himself and his personal gains.

He and the likes of Reno,  Bwalya, Okonkwo are quintessentially rogue marabouts and fortune hunters!

ATIKU’S VAULTING AMBITION: It’s actually the battle of his life. This is Atiku’s last stand on earth and in heaven … When he shall stand before his maker at the pearly gate, and Baba would jocularly chide him: “Olboy you try o!”

Khalifa wearing his famous scowl, now set like a granite sculpture, would answer: “Yeah, bloody hell I did!”

Baba: “Well, you know what it’s going to be now.”

Khalifa: “Whatever; wherever,” he would retort, haughty and defiant like a promontory rock.

Verdict : the die is cast and even the heavens can’t make Atiku backtrack, it seems.

ADC: ATIKU DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS: Political watchers have followed the formation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Atiku. The coalition is born out of the need to have a bulwark against the rampaging ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC). But too soon, ADC has become an Atiku franchise.

Already, it has been structured to have him as the presidential candidate. This has left many founding members disillusioned.

Many founders were under the illusion that ADC would adopt Peter Obi straightaway as the arrowhead to defeat the bumbling behemoth, APC.

Obi is to ADC today, what Buhari was to APC in 2014. And even more. Unlike, Buhari, Obi is young, full of health and enjoys massive national  traction not known in Nigeria’s political history.

The watching world expected Atiku and the emerging formidable coalition to rally behind Obi and usher in a new Nigeria. Straight forward!

Atiku was to be the supremo and ultimate statesman who berthed this new age and new day for a glorious new Nigeria, standing tall in the sun among the comity of nations. Atiku was to emerge  as the superhero of Nigeria’s modern political history.

He was at the periphery of a glorious final chapter of a not-too- illustrious biography.

Almost everyone genuflected, cajoled, and even prostated to make  Atiku see this beautiful picture. No way. You don’t listen to mortal men when you’re in the midst of marauding marabouts.

Recently, to the shock of the coalition, he told the BBC he would run in 2027. He would contest in the primary and respect the result therefrom.

Only a neophyte would engage Atiku in a primary in a party he has  formed in his image and imagination. Of course , Peter Obi isn’t stupid, no matter what you think of him.

It would serve Obi best to withdraw, not just from the race, but from politics rather than to go to a primary contest with Atiku.

It would amount to an inglorious political suicide for Obi to do that.

ATIKU WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT: Of course Atiku will never be president of Nigeria. Well, tell that to the horde of marabouts around him. But that’s the reality shorn of chanting marabouts.

For instance, his baggage will fill up a dozen rickety LAWMA trucks. Aged and ailing, Nigeria needs a new beginning.

The youths need a new beginning which they have identified in Peter Obi. They passed the message in 2023 when Obi with a ragtag Labour Party, won the presidential election landslide in the east, west, north and south.

It’s only in four states out of 36 (and Abuja) that Obi didn’t win 25 % of total votes.

It was an Obi revolution that was stymied by INEC’s infamous ‘glitch’. Some of the chief riggers in the APC have openly confessed to this.

FEAR OF OBI: The APC and incumbent president, Tinubu are so scared of Obi that the only way they know to stop him is to make sure he’s not on the ballot.

Tinubu and his gang have ensured to infiltrate every single mushroom political party in the land apart from the ADC, now occupied by Atiku. Some observers would even wager that Tinubu may have ‘reached’ Atiku ostensibly to keep Obi out of the ballot at any cost.

Well, one can’t vouch for any Nigerian politician, especially of the old order, but ADC not adopting Obi as an automatic candidate leaves room for vile speculations.

If Atiku COULD NOT beat Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari and lastly, Tinubu in 2023, then not Tinubu as incumbent.

The reasons are too numerous. He’s seen as same of the same with Tinubu. Atiku is seen as a soulless usurper of the turn of Southerners and the destroyer of the PDP because of his wanton crave for power.

Atiku cannot be president of Nigeria but it’s okay if he resolves to keep trying till the end!

ENDGAME: Well, it is po-ssible that ADC and the coalition have been applying distractive strategy all this while to keep the ‘enemy’ guessing. If that is so, let them resolve to do the needful (adopt Obi today!). Even one more day may be too late. There’s a lot of work to be done. APC had to do a sham primary in 2014 after they had adopted Buhari as candidate!

On the other hand, if what’s happening is sheer political folly (of Atiku grabbing the ADC space as he did PDP), then let Obi take a stand today:

QUIT ADC AND QUIT POLITICS IF NO OTHER PARTY WILL ADOPT HIM.

Finally, if Nigeria doesn’t love Obi, let him leave Nigeria to bear her cross. History will vindicate him; enough of his unrequited love.

> Osuji was editor at The Guardian and THISDAY among others.
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Lamido: I Will Sue PDP If I Can’t Obtain National Chairmanship Form

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Alhaji Sule Lamido

Ahead the November 15 National Convention of the peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Jigawa state former governor, Sule Lamido has threatened to sue his party. His reason is that he’s unable to purchase the form to contest for the position of the National Chairman.

If the former governor went ahead to sue the party, as he has threatened, PDP problem may be further complicated, analysts insist as it’s trying to wriggle out of the court case instituted by some angry members of the party who are threatening to stop the Convention from holding.

The former governor is one of the founding fathers of the party, and has been resolute in his call for unity and reconciliation among the leaders of the party, despite the protracted leadership crisis that’s threatened to destabilize the party ahead the next month National Delegates Convention.

Lamido lamented the problem he faced in purchasing the form on Monday when he went to the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

According to him, he met the party’s National Secretary and National Organizing Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and Umar Bature who told him they could not help him, as the forms were not available with them.

The former governor had therefore warned that he would sue the party to court if he’s prevented from obtaining the form to contest the party’s highest position at the National Convention slated for next month in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

“If I don’t get the form, I will go to court”, he said while speaking to journalists over his frustration.

His warning is coming barely a week after the major PDP stakeholders from the 19 northern states disclosed that they have agreed to present a former Minister, Taminu Turaki,  a senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN as a consensus candidate for the position.

Governor Umar Fintiri of Adamwa state, who is also the Chairman of the Convention Organising Committee made the position of the stakeholders known in Abuja, last week saying the party will however not prevent other candidates from contesting, saying it’s their democratic right to do so, noting that the party’s Constitution supports the stakeholders position on the matter.

“That is what our constitution says. Anybody is still free to contest but our candidate is Turaki”, the governor stated.

Fintiri’s position on the issue however appears not to have gone down well with other major stakeholders such as Lamido who believes that they were not carried along in the decision to make Turaki the Consensus candidate.

The former governor was among PDP leaders from the North west zone, who rejected Turaki last week as a consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday night, the party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, who spoke on behalf of the Zone said the purported endorsement did not reflect the collective decision of stakeholders from the North-West, saying the choice of Turaki was unilateral and bereft of consultation with other key stakeholders from the region.

“The North-West has not met to agree on that position. What we want to make clear is that this zone has not adopted anybody as a candidate for the position of PDP National Chairman,” he said.

Bature explained that the North-West stakeholders were yet to hold any formal meeting to decide on a consensus candidate, stressing that the process should involve wide consultation among leaders of the zone.

“Consensus is achieved through consultation. We were not consulted before the announcement was made. The meeting that was supposed to hold yesterday at the instance of the Zamfara governor was postponed, and yet a candidate was adopted without the zone’s input.

“We are the strongest zone in the PDP, and we disagree with the decision announced by the governors. We will have our own candidate whom we will nominate for the position,” Bature stated.

Apart from Bature, other key PDP leaders and stakeholders present at the Abuja briefing included former National Secretary Ibrahim Tsauri, the PDP’s 2023 Kaduna governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru Kudan, and Mustapha Lamido, the former governors’ son.

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