Nollywood veteran actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has asserted that attempts to zone the 2027 presidency to the South are merely a tactical cover-up designed to ease President Bola Tinubu’s path back into office.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• Performance Over Zoning: Okonkwo argued that a president’s bid for a second term should serve as a democratic referendum on their first-term performance rather than being protected by zoning agreements.

• Democratic Removal: According to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) campaign spokesperson, any leader who fails to meet public expectations during their first term should be democratically removed.

• Backing Atiku: Okonkwo maintained that Atiku Abubakar is the sole opposition figure capable of defeating Tinubu, urging the South-East to align with the North much like Tinubu’s alliance with Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

• Coalition Warning: He cautioned voters that the 2027 race is a two-party contest between the ruling APC and a unified opposition coalition (ADC), warning that splinter parties serve only to divide opposition votes.

Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, has restated his opposition to the creation of state police in Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

reports that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Presidential Candidate said the renewed demand for state police was largely driven by the inability of the existing federal policing system to adequately address the country’s security problems.

The former Minister of Defence, who spoke on the Untold Stories podcast, said the worsening security situation had forced governments at different levels to look for additional ways to protect citizens.

According to him, the idea of state police emerged because of what he described as the failure of the federal or national police to effectively deal with insecurity.

He said: “I have always been against state police, and I can tell you the issue of state police came because of the failure of the federal or national police. I think it’s one of the big mistakes that government is doing.

“But one can understand if there is any failure, nobody wants to take responsibility. It’s only when there is success, everybody, even somebody who is one thousand kilometers away from it, will be claiming. We can see how things have reversed themselves to the extent that leaders in this country are telling their citizens to go and purchase arms. They go and own arms to protect themselves. It has gone that bad.

“And as long as people have too many arms in their hands, I can tell you there will hardly be any peace. Because even little disputes between neighbors or even husband and wife, I can tell you one may decide to go and take the arms and use it.”

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited must publicly explain the true status of the nation’s refineries.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• Demand for Accountability: Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Lokpobiri responded to questions regarding conflicting claims about refinery performance by promising to have NNPC officials come forward and present the facts.

• Avoiding Hasty Conclusions: The minister stressed that it is vital to establish complete facts about the facilities rather than jumping to conclusions based on output questions.

• Crude Production on the Rise: Highlighting Nigeria’s upstream sector, Lokpobiri noted that output has climbed to an average of 1.84 million barrels per day (including condensates), with a federal target pushing past two million barrels daily.

• Infrastructure Bottlenecks: He identified ageing infrastructure—specifically pipelines over 50 years old—as the primary obstacle holding back further evacuation growth, noting that NNPC has begun a comprehensive overhaul of the network.

• Reviving Shut-In Wells: Increased production is also being driven by operators bringing shut-in wells back online through re-entry programs, aided by recent asset transitions involving Renaissance Africa Energy and Seplat.