News
I knew Tinubu lacked capacity to be President – Amaechi
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, sank his teeth deeper into the skin of President Bola Tinubu on Saturday, all but dismissing his government as a non-event, giving his dismal outing in the last two years, occasioned by biting poverty and massive corruption.
Amaechi, who resigned as Minister of Transportation, a position he held for eight years, to contest for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in June 2022, eventually lost by a wide margin to Tinubu, who was also Governor of Lagos State at a time and Leader of the Party, before the contest.
Recalling an encounter between him and the President, Amaechi, also two-time Director of Campaigns for Muhammadu Buhari, which made him the arrowhead in the process of enthroning the APC government in 2015 and sustaining it in 2019, through the re-election of the former President, spared no words in carpeting Tinubu’s performance.
In fact, he indicated that he was not surprised at the dismal outcome, since he had issues with the capacity of the President to deliver from the outset, an issue he said he made known to Tinubu prior to his campaign for the number one job.
The former Governor who spoke at an event in Abuja to mark his 60th birthday, told participants including Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, 16th Emir of Kano and Seriake Dickson, former Governor of Bayelsa State, spoke of Tinubu’s government as one where corruption was crawling on its belly.
His words: “I met President Tinubu in Yola and I told him I will not work for you and I will not vote for you. I did not vote for Tinubu. I told him in advance before the election. I am saying this because of people who feel that I do not work for PDP or APC. I had already told Tinubu in advance and why I said that was because of the issue of capacity.
“The current government and their agencies and who work with them, they are not even afraid. You see the kind of houses they are building. If they are not afraid, I am ashamed of them because they have no name. In fact, they say, ‘who did name help?
“The government said it has stopped the payment of about N5 trillion in fuel subsidy, the question is: ‘What did they do with the money?’ If you had put it back into the economy, the issue of poverty would have been reduced.”
Stating how he solved the problem of insecurity and poverty, which he acknowledged remained major issues in the country during his time as governor, having noticed that they were tied to the increase in crime rate, he stressed how he enhanced the circulation of money in the system as a major factor in stemming the tide.
His words: “When I was governor of Rivers State, I told my Commissioner of Finance; he is here. What did I tell you? I said, go and raise money, pay contractors, pay salary, pay money.
“And once you pay, insecurity will go away. So, it’s about poverty. It’s about poverty. But currently, everybody wants to amass wealth and the major problem with Nigerians is that they don’t know how to protest. It’s only during elections that politicians begin to plan in the minds of Nigerians that they are either Christians or Muslims, playing ethnicity cards instead of capacity-building.
“They came up with a Muslim-Muslim ticket and where has that led us to? They should have equally come up with a Muslim-Muslim market. Hunger knows no one whether you are a Muslim or a Christian. I always say, let’s put the country first in all we do.”
Atiku, who accused the President Tinubu-led government of deliberately using poverty as a political weapon, said the government was using poverty as a weapon to hold Nigerians to ransom, in order to run away from its non-performance and not living up to peoples’ expectations.
“You may call me a conspirator; you may call me anything, and that is why we are in this alliance to make sure we don’t allow them to continue weaponising poverty. Of course, one of our star conspirators is Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Therefore, we are here to wish you many happy returns of the day.
“And we will continue to conspire with you to make sure we minimise poverty and we don’t use state machinery to weaponise poverty. I thank you very much.”
El-Rufai on his part also bemoaned the current situation in Nigeria, stating that it had never witnessed the type of trouble that has beset it since 1914 adding that it was for this purpose that every Nigerian must join hands in saving it.
His words: “That is why we are together working and conspiring to build a coalition to take Nigeria back on track because it is off track. Nigeria is in the biggest trouble since 1914. It has turned to this level because we have allowed bandits, not the ones in the bushes but the ones in the urban areas called the urban bandits to take over leadership.
“I believe that the problem that we have, which I think Governor Babangida referred to, is that we just get incompetent people and we hand over leadership to them. Most of them don’t really know what to do. They just know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it. Nigerians must stand up and vote for leaders that have the competence, capability, capacity, and commitment to move the country forward.”
For Sanusi, who while bewailing the level of poverty in Nigeria, as alarming, argued that he never realised how bad the picture was, the real situation could not be painted in cities like Lagos and Kano, a situation which he said became apparent when he mounted the throne.
Hear him: “It is nothing. You actually have to go where the majority of our people live to know what poverty is. So, the first question I think we have to ask ourselves as leaders, all of us, is, ‘do we actually love the people, or do you just love ruling over them?’
“Do we actually love Nigerians as human beings? You can say, I love Nigeria. What is Nigeria? It’s the people who live there. What are our priorities? I did not know about poverty until I became an Emir, seeing things myself.”
But Seriake Dickson, presented a different perspective to the narrative saying people must be careful about their political decisions, citing how Nigeria eventually turned out after the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised Nigerians change.
His words: “Remember, this was how you people collaborated to remove a good government. Eleven years later, you people are here again, discussing collaboration. I say to Nigerians ‘shine your eyes.”
It is not true that President Bola Tinubu has settled for Obafemi Hamzat, currently Deputy Governor, as his choice to replace Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his boss in next year’s governorship election in Lagos.
This angle came from Abdulazeez Adediran, who is also eying the number one job in the state after missing it in 2023, when he contested for it on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), coming third behind Sanwo-Olu the winner and Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour of the Labour Party (LP).
Against the backdrop of emerging stories in recent days that both the President and the powerbrokers in Lagos, had settled for the Hamzat, Adediran, popularly known as “Jandor,” told his host while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television he would be one of the first to know about such a development, being very much keen for the job.
His words: “He (Hamzat) hasn’t even said to us himself that he is running. He is the deputy governor of Lagos, qualified, with over 20 years of experience in that space. As we speak, the party says it’s going to be direct primaries. If tomorrow it says this is what we are doing, we will fall in line. The party is supreme.
“No, the President hasn’t endorsed anyone. I am an aspirant, and we are a few people also gunning for this. We will be the first set of people to know if there is anything like that because communication will come.”
Revealing his own encounter with the President over the matter, the former PDP candidate, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), last year, admitted that Tinubu neither discouraged him from contesting nor promised him the party’s ticket.
He said his earlier attempt to poach for the job was based on his belief that he could deliver adding that even Tinubu made his own ambition to run for offices open before going for them.
Jandor, who spoke on the political profile in the state, also announced the death of any opposition to the ruling APC structure, adding that though he trusted in his own ability to take over from Sanwo-Olu, he would support any candidate the party produced if he was not favoured.
Hear him: “Absolutely, because if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will believe in you. When the President was running for the ticket, he came out to say he wanted to run. Lagos politics is increasingly consolidating. There is nothing like opposition again in the state. I will support the party if I fail to secure its ticket.
With Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu serving his final term, the race for the 2027 Lagos governorship is gathering pace within the APC.
Prominent figures who have been rumoured to be intersted in the seat include Hamzat, former governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Tokunbo Abiru, an aide to the President, Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday at its Conference Centre (Rose 1101) hosted the first quarter 2026 edition of its Book Reading Series, with a one-time Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, as Guest Author.
The event, which focused on the 2025, 204-page publication of the author, Leading in a Storm: Practical Leadership Strategiesin Crisis Situations, had a capacity audience drawn from higher institutions, the mass media, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), with several others participating virtually.
In a welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD), Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, said the book reading programme, which he described as “a signature event” of the Board, speaks to creativity, which is one of the core values of the Board.
He explained that the event is part of the Board’s strategy infostering intellectual activity and sophistication amongstakeholders as well as building the abilities of Nigerians to operate productively in the oil and gas industry and linkage sectors, which is one of its core mandates.
The Executive Secretary enumerated several initiatives of the Board geared towards advancement of research and technology, notably, six Centres of Excellence in the nation’s six geopolitical zones, each of which has a unique theme. These are Niger Delta University, Amassoma, with Marine and Petrochemical Technologies as theme; Federal University of Technology, Minna (Engineering Design), and Federal University of Technology, Owerri (Local Raw Materials Substitution).
Others are Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola (Safety and Environment Studies); Usman Dan Fodio University (UDUS), Sokoto (Renewable Energy), and Federal University of Technology, Akure (Geology and Geophysical Studies). Additional research centres established by the Board include Geosciences Research Centre at the University of Lagos and Marine and Offshore Training Centre at Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. The latest is the Centre of Excellence in Gas Development at Delta State University, Abraka, being developed in partnership with Seplat Energy Plc.
According to Engr. Ogbe, the NCDMB is collaborating with Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC), First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), to organise the first Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), which was launched on November 20, 2025 in Abuja. The Olympiad, slated to end in April, 2026, is to encourage final-year and postgraduate students to be innovative in applying engineering principles to real-world operational challenges in and out of oil and gas industry.
In the book conversation segment, moderated by Mr. Victor Binawari, Dr. Peterside explained the inspiration behind Leading in a Storm…, copies of which had been distributed gratis to attendees. “My own lived experience,” he declared, informed the contents and thrusts of the work. He pointed out that “Every single day, Nigerians face one crisis or another,” and that the experiences posit weakness of leadership.
He recalled his time at the National Assembly, when he served as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Downstream Petroleum sector, with the unremitting crises in fuel supply. As NIMASA Director General he had to contend with recurring incidences of piracy within Nigeria’s territorial waters. Then the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw many world leaders fumbling, unable to determine how best to safeguard the health of citizens. Yet another inspiration was from an uncomplimentary remark by a professor at America’s Kellog School of Management, to the effect that “Africa is in a near-permanent state of crises.”
“I began to investigate how leaders can perform better in crisis situations,” he explained, adding that calmness, clarity, adaptability, and resilience, are critically important. What kind of choices leaders make when faced with crises would reveal the stuff they are made of.
He outlined eight competencies of crisis leadership, namely, Contextual intelligence (“the ability to read situations accurately and understand the deeper forces at play”); Calm Confidence (which provides emotional stability); Sense-making (which enables a leader to find patterns in chaos and make meaning from confusion); Strategic Decision-making; Clear Communication; Strategic Flexibility; Coordinating Teamwork, and Facilitating Learning. Every great leader should rank high enough in these.
On his style, which relies heavily on storytelling, he stated that stories are relatable, memorable and engaging, and that “stories teach you principles which you can apply.”
In closing remarks, Mr. Teleola Oyeleke, Supervisor, CCD of NCDMB, thanked Dr. Peterside for readily accepting the invitation and for the wealth experience he shared at the event. He also thanked all participants, while advising them to read and digest the contents of the book. He also echoed the Guest Author in challenging attendees to have personal development programmes.
Anyone promoting or linking Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the controversial X account, indicating earlier sympathy for the All Progressives Congress (APC), risks facing the full weight of the law henceforth.
This warning came from Commission on Monday, as it fully exculpated its embattled boss, who has been under intense scrutiny, since a supposed post from him surfaced on April 10, 2026, depicting him as supporter of the ruling party.
Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a Professor of Law, was said to have commented “Victory is sure” in response to a supposed APC supporter, reporting success in the 2023 presidential election.
But the commission, in a statement, on Monday, quoted Adedayo Oketola, spokesman of the INEC boss as saying that the purported X (formerly Twitter) account linked to Amupitan, was fake and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.
Oketola, who disclosed that a comprehensive, multi-layered forensic investigation conducted by independent cybersecurity experts has conclusively established that the INEC Chairman does not operate any personal X account, added: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , committed to a full forensic investigation, commissioned an independent forensic cybersecurity expert, who conducted a multi-layered forensic and digital investigation using X platform data, internet archive records, OSINT tools, identity forensics and cross-platform analysis.”
The statement stressed that all posts, replies, and screenshots linking him to the handle @joashamupitan were fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, and technically impossible, adding that the forensic investigation uncovered clear evidence of fabrication and impersonation, highlighting no digital linkage between the disputed X account and the INEC boss’s verified email addresses or phone numbers, as multiple recovery and verification attempts failed to establish any link.
Other findings, the statement emphasized, indicated that the data used to suggest ownership of the account only confirmed identity but did not establish control of any social media handle, making such claims a logical fallacy, while the alleged reply “Victory is sure” was posted 13 minutes before the original tweet it responded to—an occurrence that is technically impossible and definitive proof of fabrication.
INEC stated that searches on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine showed zero evidence of the account or its alleged activity prior to April 2026 and that live checks confirmed that the alleged reply does not exist and has never existed on the platform.
It said on the same day the screenshots went viral, the account was renamed @sundayvibe00, set to private, and labelled a “parody account,” indicating deliberate impersonation and damage control, while at least seven fake accounts across Facebook and Instagram using the Chairman’s identity were identified, pointing to a sustained disinformation effort.
Oketola, who was quoted as saying further: “The forensic evidence is comprehensive, multi-sourced, and unambiguous. The posts attributed to Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan on X are fabricated. The account is a clear case of impersonation,” also described the development as “a coordinated digital impersonation and disinformation campaign,” warning that advances in artificial intelligence had made it easier to fabricate misleading content.
Urging the public to avoid sharing unverified information, he noted the fact that content went viral did not make it authentic, and called on media organisations to prioritise accuracy over speed.
Informing that the independent forensic report had been referred to the law enforcement agencies for necessary action, he appealed to law enforcement agencies to investigate the origin of the fake account and prosecute those responsible under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.
His words: “Media organisations, in particular, have a duty to apply strict forensic verification standards to social media posts and screenshots before publishing them, especially when such content implicates public officials or carries serious consequences for public trust and institutional credibility. Accuracy, not speed, must guide reporting in matters of this nature.”
He reiterated that all official communications from INEC are disseminated exclusively through its verified platforms, including its website (www.inecnigeria.org), verified X account (@inecnigeria), official Facebook page, online news portal (www.inecnews.com), formal press statements from its headquarters in Abuja, and official media briefings. Any account purporting to represent the INEC Chairman in a personal capacity, he said, should be treated as fraudulent unless formally verified by the Commission.
Jandor: Tinubu didn’t endorses Hamzat *I’ve briefed President on my ambition
NCDMB hosts Q1, 2026 Book Reading Series *Underlines value of reading, creativity
INEC to promoters: You risk jail! *Amupitan not owner of controversial X account
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