Atiku, Tinubu ‘Two Elephants’ Fight
The two political heavyweights, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, might have triggered a cold war which will make for a fascinating climax as the 2023 elections approach.
Atiku, during an interview with AriseTV on Friday, stated that “my fundamental disagreement with Asiwaju was on the issue of Muslim-Muslim which led to my departure politically.
“Recall I was given the ticket under ACN and Asiwaju insisted to become my running mate which made him switch his support to YarAdua. I opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket when PMB emerged which led to the emergence of a Christian running mate.
“I don’t believe it is right for Nigeria and there must be a balancing of interests.”
However, Tinubu, in a statement issued on Saturday by his spokesman Tunde Rahman, called Atiku “a pathological liar.”
The statement noted that “in his desperate attempt to win the election by stoking religious bias, Atiku has reduced himself to uttering baseless lies on national television.
“We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological.”
Read Also: Week In View: Adeleke In “Sweet Revenge,” Osinbajo’s “Home” Surgery, And Other Stories
It is frustratingly amusing to witness these two colossal politicians — one of who might become the President in 2023 — bicker over personal issues while the country lurch from one challenge to the other.
If these antecedents are anything to go by, Nigerians might need to brace up for another four miserable years.
Terrorist ‘Propaganda’ Video (Or Not)?
The Presidency declared on Sunday the country security forces are adequately equipped to tackle the country’s security challenges.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
He was reacting to the release of a new video showing terrorists whipping the victims of the March 28 attack on an Abuja-Kaduna passenger train.
In the 11 seconds video, the terrorists threatened to kill the victims.
He also criticised the terrorists for forcing the government to comply with their demands by employing propaganda.
Whether the video was released for propagandistic reasons or not, what is certain is the sufferings and brutality being endured by the Kaduna train captives, which has been met with a baffling indifference by the Federal Government.
One can only hope that the security agencies are working assiduously in order to ensure the rescue of the beleaguered captives.
OBIdient Chimamanda
Ahead of the general elections in 2023, award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie has endorsed Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Chimamanda expressed her support, via a message on her verified Facebook page, sent to Obi on his 61st birthday on Tuesday.
The author pledged to support Obi in the 2023 presidential race, referring to him as her “largest” brother.
It is admirable that Nigerians from far-flung distances are taking a keen interest in proceedings leading up to the 2023 elections.
This will only foster a fair electoral process which should benefit our democracy and electoral system, in the long run.
ASUU, FG Impasse As Strike Continues
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed to continue its five-month-old strike.
The ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who addressed journalists at a media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, also blamed the industrial action on the tardiness of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
Osodeke insisted that the lingering strike was exacerbated by the insincerity of the minister.
He added that Ngige failed to play his required role as the employer of labour.
The union, therefore, reassured Nigerians of its commitment to work in their interests for the betterment of public universities.
Nigerian students continue to wallow in despair as they watch their lives idle by due to the impasse between the ASUU and the FG, further exacerbated by a moribund educational sector.
The bottomline of the ongoing strike action is only to the benefits of the lecturers, with the students as spoils of war — this only points to a grimy future for the young generation.
Outrage Over ‘Fake’ Bishops
The presence of men clad in clergy robes at the unveiling ceremony of Kashim Shettima as the vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has elicited outrage on social media.
The unveiling ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
Since the pictures of the supposed clergy members surfaced on social media, many Nigerians have been dissecting and analysing the suitability of their garbs.
The ruling party has been at the receiving end of the flak, with critics alleging that the individuals are impostors hired to create the impression of an acceptance of the Muslim-Muslim ticket by the Christian community.
Nigeria’s political system can be likened to an infantile game of chess with a lot of dark moves enacted by selfish stakeholders in order to attain the ultimate checkmate.
This act, over the years, has led to the neglect of the core issue of governance and 2023 might herald a new dawn, considering the coalesced anger of the youth at the established elite.
