Politics

TRIBUTES AS POPE FRANCIS DIES AT 88 Pope Francis, whose time as head of the Catholic Church was noted for humility and outreach efforts to people of disparate backgrounds and faiths, has died at 88, the Vatican has confirmed. The Argentinian national was known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, when he was elected the Catholic …

WHERE IS OUR PRESIDENT? BY SULEIMAN SULEIMAN Of course, everyone knows that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in France. He has been there since the second day of this month, just about three weeks now. That one is clear. What is unclear is precisely what Nigeria’s president is doing in a foreign country for three weeks, or who is in …

BABA-AHMED: FROM PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER TO CRITIC Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former political adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says based on current developments in the North, the region will no longer vote blindly or repeat the mistakes of the past. Baba-Ahmed, a former spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), stated this during an interview with journalists in Zaria at the …

CHINA TURNS TO NIGERIA, OTHER EMERGING ECONOMIES AS US MARKETS FREEZE Product manufacturers in China have turned their attention to Nigeria and other emerging markets following the imposition of trade tariffs on their products by the US President, Donald Trump. Trump, on April 2, slapped a 46% tariff on Vietnam and a 17% levy on the Philippines before paring those …

STOP PLAYING GOD, NIGERIA BECOMING A MAFIA STATE – BAKARE TELLS TINUBU Tunde Bakare, serving overseer of The Citadel Global Community Church, has asked President Bola Tinubu to accept advice and “stop playing God”. Speaking on Sunday during his state of the nation broadcast at the church in Lagos, Bakare said the president should implement a “coordinated programme” to steer …

ATIKU-PETER OBI ALLIANCE: SPECULATIONS STIR ABOUT POTENTIAL POWER-SHARING AGREEMENT As the 2027 presidential election approaches, speculations surrounding a potential alliance between former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have become the focal point of Nigerian political discourse. Atiku first hinted at the possibility of such an alliance in 2024 following what he described as …

DON’T BE SWAYED BY RECENT CPC ENDORSEMENTS – EX-SGF ADVISES TINUBU Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has advised President Bola Tinubu not to be swayed by the recent endorsement from former governors of Nasarawa and Katsina states, Tanko Al-Makura, Aminu Bello Masari, and some members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). In …

TINUBU TO MEET EX-PRESIDENT, KANO OPPOSITION LEADER In LONDON AS FOUR PDP GOVS PLOT DEFECTION TO APC A major political shift is underway ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with no fewer than three to four governors of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reportedly in advanced talks to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and support President …

DESPITE SUPREME COURT RULING, STATE GOVTS GET N1.2TRN COUNCIL FUND IN THREE MONTHS Despite a Supreme Court judgement mandating the direct payment of allocation to local governments, the Federal Government disbursed N1.232tn to councils in the first quarter of 2025 through state governments, continuing the long-standing practice the court ruled against. An analysis of data released by the Federation Account …

BUHARI IS GREATEST FRAUD THAT HAPPENED TO NIGERIA – BUBA GALADIMA Former National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change and now a chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Buba Galadima, speaks with Ismaeel Uthman on the fate of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections, the crisis rocking the Emir of Kano stool, and President Bola Tinubu’s handling …