Former Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, has accused former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, of making false claims that former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo appointed Christians from his church to important government positions.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Reports indicate that Lawal had alleged that most of the key appointments made by Osinbajo during his time in office went to Christians from the same church. He reportedly based his claim on an alleged list of 28 names, claiming that only two of the appointees were not Christians.

However, Akande dismissed the allegation as a complete fabrication during an interview with Symfoni TV on Friday, insisting that no such list ever existed.

Akande also challenged the account of the appointment process presented by Lawal, questioning how Osinbajo could have submitted the alleged list of 28 names.

Speaking during the interview, Akande said he was concerned about Lawal’s conduct over the matter, describing the allegation as entirely false.

He said, “I’m worried about the conduct of Lawal in this matter because this is an entire, complete, total fabrication. First of all, there was no such list of 28 names or more. It’s a lie.

“There was no three-month waiting time. I resumed in the Villa in June 2015. The Vice President had direct access to President Buhari. He made it clear that if anybody stopped the Vice President from meeting him, the person was in trouble.

“He said it openly, and anytime the Vice President had a memo, he took it there by hand, and the President would approve it. He would take the memo and give it to his own Chief of Staff, who would then send it to other people.”

Akande further argued that the process described by Lawal never took place, insisting there was no opportunity for Osinbajo to compile and submit the alleged list.

He added, “There was no time for him to do a 28-name list. It’s a lie, and I’m shocked Babachir Lawal will tell such a lie. I challenge him to bring out that memo.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of allegedly plotting to discredit the ruling party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to reports, APC PCC spokesperson Dele Alake made the allegation in a statement issued on Saturday, claiming that Atiku and the ADC had allegedly devised a plan to mislead the public through fabricated news reports, artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos and forged documents.

Alake alleged that the materials would be circulated across social media platforms and mainstream media outlets to undermine the APC rally and damage the reputations of President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other party leaders.

The council also dismissed reports claiming that security operatives had been deployed to protect APC campaign billboards across Kaduna, arguing that a photograph of a security vehicle on routine patrol had been misrepresented.

The APC PCC further cited a letter circulating online, purportedly written by Governor Uba Sani and addressed to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari. The alleged letter claimed that the Kaduna State Government had released ₦2.3 trillion to host the rally.

In the statement, the council said it had uncovered what it described as a coordinated attempt by Atiku and the ADC to undermine the campaign launch scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2026.

The statement read: “We have uncovered a well-orchestrated, devious plan by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his party to discredit the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna today, Saturday, October 24th, 2026.

“Through subterfuge and mindless propaganda, the former Vice President and the African Democratic Congress have perfected their plans to misinform and disinform the public, manipulate public opinion through fake news operations and planting of false news in mainstream news platforms and social media with the use of Artificial Intelligence, deepfake videos, and counterfeit documents, all in a bid to discredit the APC rally in Kaduna, President Bola Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani, and leaders of our party.”

The council alleged that the purported disinformation campaign had already begun, citing the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle stationed at a junction near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.

According to the APC, the image was presented as evidence that security personnel had been assigned to protect the party’s billboards. The council further alleged that a national newspaper published a distorted account of the incident, which Atiku subsequently shared on his official social media platforms.

The statement also questioned the authenticity of the letter alleging that ₦2.3 trillion had been released to finance the Kaduna rally, describing the claim as baseless.

To support its position, the council compared the alleged amount with Kaduna State’s annual budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026, which it put at ₦458.271 billion, ₦790.439 billion and ₦985.9 billion, respectively.

It argued that the combined budgets for the three years remained below ₦2.3 trillion, questioning the plausibility of the alleged expenditure on a single campaign rally.

The APC PCC further alleged that additional manipulated content, including old footage, doctored videos and deepfakes, could be circulated during the rally to create the impression that residents were opposed to the ruling party.

The statement added: “We know these two scenarios are only a part of the grand plan. The ADC and Atiku’s hirelings have also perfected plans to circulate old, doctored, and deepfake videos as the rally gets underway later today to show purported resentment by the people.

“We hereby use this opportunity to alert the general public about this malicious and ignoble plan.”

The council also criticised Atiku and the ADC, making further allegations about their political intentions and urging Nigerians to be cautious about information circulating online.

“We urge Nigerians to be vigilant and reject their machinations,” the statement concluded.

The allegations against Atiku and the ADC were made by the APC Presidential Campaign Council in its statement.

The Okoya family has rejected claims made by Fatai Okoya, the estranged son of billionaire industrialist Razaq Okoya, regarding his position as his father’s first child.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

It will be recalled that Fatai recently made a public appeal to reconcile with his 86-year-old father after being estranged from him for about four decades, describing the alleged rejection as painful.

He also claimed to be the industrialist’s first child and accused his father’s wife, Shade Okoya, of preventing him from seeing the billionaire on his birthday.

However, in a statement issued through Eleganza Industries Ltd and signed by the company’s Senior Public Relations Manager, Nathaniel Omeninwan, the Okoya family described Fatai’s public appeal as an attempt to gain sympathy and unfairly portray other members of the family in a negative light.

The family maintained that Fatai’s disagreement with his father began several years before Razaq married Shade, adding that Fatai is actually the billionaire’s third child.

It further stated that Fatai had received substantial financial assistance from his father over the years, including the provision of four flats in Ogunlana, Surulere, Lagos, where he currently resides. The family also disclosed that the billionaire had occasionally paid Fatai’s medical bills.

According to the statement, Razaq Okoya has supported all his children, including those who chose to establish independent businesses, and it would be unfair to overlook the assistance he has provided.

The family added that the billionaire had repeatedly stated that any of his children who refused to respect and abide by his wishes would have to take responsibility for themselves.

The statement read: “The Okoya family finds it regrettable that Fatai Okoya (who is in fact the third child of Aare Rasaq Okoya, CON) has dragged what are otherwise private family matters into the public domain to attract public sympathy, gain attention and unjustifiably discredit other family members. Fatai Okoya fell out with his father and stopped visiting him long before his father married Chief Mrs Shade Okoya, MON.

“Aare Rasaq Okoya, CON, has also publicly stated on numerous occasions that any child of his who is not prepared to respect, appreciate and abide by his wishes is on their own.

“Fatai Okoya has benefited immensely from his father and continues to benefit. He lives in, and has been given, four flats by his father in Ogunlana Surulere, and has at times been receiving payment for his medical bills.”

The family also recalled that more than 40 years ago, four influential friends intervened in the dispute between Fatai and his father in an attempt to resolve the disagreement.

According to the statement, the individuals held an overnight meeting and, despite their surprise at Fatai’s demands, recommended that Razaq settle him in accordance with what he had requested. The family said the recommendation was subsequently implemented.

The statement further addressed the incident at the medical outreach organised to mark Razaq’s 86th birthday, where Shade was introduced to Fatai.

The family explained that another relative advised Fatai that the birthday medical outreach was not an appropriate setting to discuss his unresolved issues with his father.

It said Fatai accepted the advice and left the venue. The family also insisted that Shade merely exchanged pleasantries with him and made no other comments, adding that several guests witnessed the encounter.

The statement continued: “Aare and Chief Mrs Okoya, and indeed the entire Rasaq Okoya family, are very quiet, private and easygoing citizens focused on their family, their charitable work and their businesses.

“Chief Mrs Okoya respects her husband and his wishes. They do not intend to turn private affairs into disputes to air or discuss on social media. No misunderstanding can be settled online.”

The family maintained that it had no intention of turning its private disagreements into a public controversy, insisting that family disputes should be resolved privately rather than through social media.