The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has predicted that Nigerians will reject African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 general election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Basiru compared the former vice president to Kenya’s former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, suggesting that the 2027 presidential election would be Atiku’s final attempt to become Nigeria’s president.

reports that the APC chieftain made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

During the interview, Basiru criticised Atiku’s professional background, describing him as a former tax collector who rose to the position of vice president without becoming an expert in any particular field.

He argued that holding the office of vice president does not automatically qualify someone as an expert.

Basiru also challenged Atiku’s economic claims, particularly his reported position that petrol should sell for ₦200 per litre, describing the proposal as unrealistic and accusing him of misleading Nigerians for political support.

Speaking during the programme, the APC national secretary said politicians should not make promises they cannot fulfil simply to win votes.

He further described Atiku as someone trained as a hygiene expert in Kano before working in the Nigeria Customs Service as a tax collector.

Questioning the former vice president’s professional credentials, Basiru urged Nigerians to examine his record and determine what he had accomplished beyond serving as vice president.

He said, “You shouldn’t lie to people just to get their votes. Atiku isn’t a professional; he was trained as a hygiene expert in Kano. He’s a ‘wole wole’ man, and we became tax collectors in Customs.

“Where is his expertise? What has he done? Check his profile. Being vice president doesn’t make you an expert.”

Basiru also invoked the political career of Odinga, who made several attempts to become Kenya’s president, to suggest that Atiku was approaching the end of his presidential ambitions.

According to him, the former vice president is contesting what could be his final presidential campaign and would eventually discover that Nigerians were unwilling to support his bid.

He maintained that Atiku would face rejection at the polls, although the outcome of the 2027 election will ultimately be determined by voters.

The Senate has rejected petrol import data submitted by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) after identifying significant discrepancies between the agency’s records and those provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts described the conflicting figures for 2022 and 2023 as unacceptable and suspicious, resolving to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPC and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to explain the differences.

reports that the decision was reached during a hearing on issues raised in the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report covering the period from 2021 to 2023.

At the hearing, NMDPRA Deputy Director, Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, who represented the Authority’s Chief Executive, defended the agency’s records.

She told the committee that Nigeria imported 3.29 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, in 2022 and 6.02 billion litres in 2023.

However, figures presented by NNPC indicated that the country imported 6.27 billion litres in 2022 and 3.88 billion litres in 2023.

Ugwu-Ojobe described the differences as minor, explaining that efforts were being made to reconcile the figures from both agencies.

Her explanation, however, failed to satisfy members of the committee, who questioned how the two agencies could report significantly different volumes of petrol imports for the same periods.

Senator Abdul Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central, rejected the description of the discrepancies as minor, pointing out that the difference exceeded 50 per cent in one of the years.

He described the conflicting figures as disturbing and suspicious, insisting that the committee could not accept the explanation without a more detailed investigation.

Similarly, Senator Dayo Faduyile, representing Ondo South, expressed concern that the discrepancies could point to possible foul play.

Senator Anietie Bassey, who represents Akwa Ibom North East, also called for a comprehensive investigation, warning that the government must ensure Nigerians were not shortchanged.

Following the lawmakers’ objections, the committee chairman, Senator Hassan Dankwabo, representing Gombe North, declared NMDPRA’s explanation unacceptable.

Dankwabo subsequently announced plans to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPC and NEITI to a joint meeting, where they would be required to clarify the conflicting figures and reconcile their records.

The committee said the proposed meeting would help establish the accurate volume of petrol imported into the country during the period under review and determine whether the discrepancies stemmed from record-keeping errors or possible fraud.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick and captain Bruno Fernandes have expressed contrasting views on the team’s tactical approach following their humiliating 4-1 defeat to Como on Wednesday night, October 22.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶