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Often, I disagree with Tinubu as a personal friend but he’s doing well – Otti

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“People in 2025 are talking of 2027… you can’t even talk about 2027 because there is no guarantee that you would go beyond 2025. Who are you to begin to talk about 2027?” was the question posed on Sunday by Alex Otti, governor of Abia State, to those already canvassing for political power while the next general election is still two years away.

Otti, who showed his disapproval at the move when he hosted Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor of the state an currently Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, wondered what would give such people their impetus, in a situation where nobody knew what would happen the next moment.

Kalu in company of Chris Adighije who once represented Abia Central Senatorial District, to pay “a friendly visit,” said was undertaken “to commend and encourage him for the good works he is doing in the state and also use the opportunity to discuss governance issues with him.”

At the parley, Otti questioned as he imagined the audacity of those talking about 2027, trying to play God, adding: ‎“Today is certain; tomorrow is a promise. Next tomorrow is gambling. Let us talk about today; when tomorrow comes, and we are lucky to be part of it, we can hold the discussion. Nobody is competent to talk about tomorrow except he or she wants to play God.”

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It was also a day that the governor also indicated showcased his support for President Bola Tinubu “as he takes difficult but courageous and necessary economic decisions to fix Nigeria’s economy.”

“When you talk about supporting President Tinubu, the President and I are very good friends and our friendship predates party politics and current positions. We agree on so many issues, and as it is natural, we know where we disagree. But, when you talk about the economy, what Mr. President is doing has always been my position for a long time.”

Stressing that his position on removal of subsidy was fully documented, including he urged those in doubt to read his columns at the back of Thisday Newspaper, some years back, especially during the Covid-19, where he laid down a comprehensive argument on the matter, insisting that Nigeria had no need to sustain the system.

‎His words: “It requires somebody with courage to remove that subsidy and I am in support of it. We have behaved in an irresponsible manner for a very long time. And, when you have years of irresponsible behavior, the correction would be tough, difficult, and painful. It is the correction that we are going through now. If we don’t lose faith, we will eventually get it right.

‎“So, talking about supporting the President, it’s a no-brainer. I will continue to support him because it is the same administration.”

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Expressing gratitude to Kalu, for the work he did in the state before him, he argued that there was no need to dwell on how things went wrong in the past, as his government had hit the reset button and start work, without looking back in the interest of the people rather than fighting anybody.

“Government and Governance is a continuum, it can be broken but you must go back and recover it. My late mother was a strong supporter of Orji Uzor Kalu for the good works he did in road construction when he became Governor, especially in Aba. It is still the same template I’m using.

“I can assure you, that template is not wrong. You fix the place that generates the revenue, the revenue will come and you use it to fix other places.”

 

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Nafiu Gombe: Yes, I have sponsors! *I can’t fight ADC big men alone!

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Nafiu Bala Gombe, the man on whose behalf the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently in a prostrate state, has admitted to getting outside help in prosecuting his legal matters against the David Mark camp.

Recall that Mark, former Senate President and Rauf Aregbesola were, last week, derecognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and had their names struck out based on the case filed by Gombe on September 2, 2025.

The commission had relied on the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo ante bellum, which it interpreted to mean that it should not deal with either side.

Against the backdrop of the dust the matter had raised across the country, the embattled ADC leadership, had accused the former Deputy Chairman of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to play the spoiler role to enable President Bola Tinubu have no challenge in the 2027 presidential election.

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Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the Mark camp, had last week, stated this much when he wondered how Gombe, who on his own could not afford an ordinary lawyer, going by his financial status, would now be hiring more than three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to represent him, which would probably run into tens of millions of naira.

Reacting on Tuesday, Gombe admitted getting outside help, but added that such assistance was not coming from government quarters or the APC, but from public-spirited individuals and Nigerians averse to the injustice being meted out to him.

Abimuku Monday, spokesman to Gombe, who spoke during an appearance on Morning Briefs, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, told his host: “Before now, they were saying these people are big weights and we’re light weights. Now, we’re suddenly being seen as human beings. Earlier, we were seen as nobodies – as boys who don’t have capacity to challenge this in court.

“They say Nafiu Bala does not even have money to pursue his case. You see, that’s how they reduce people by their own estimation. They don’t find out who people. They have forgotten that for you to seek legal actions, there are so many ways to go about it.

“It is either you use your own money or your personal relationship with people. Does it mean that somebody in politics cannot have his own friends or cannot have lawyers as his friend or cannot have other members of the society as his friends.

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“These are not members of the APC. They don’t belong to any party. They’re citizens of this country, who mean well for Nigeria. Nobody is scuttling the coalition. The fact remains that if you have a challenge, people will rally around you knowing it’s a good cause you’re fighting. People will rally around you to give you the necessary support that you need. They even called my principal a small boy.”

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Woman returns N1million discovered in purchased items to owner  

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Serah Luca, a Christian woman, has returned N1 million she unknowingly took along with goods purchased from a trader at Terminus market in Jos, Plateau state capital.

Luca, a petty trader, reportedly said she made the purchase on Friday and only discovered the hidden cash after getting home.

She said her decision to return the money was driven by fear of God and her belief that she could not keep what did not belong to her, especially knowing the hardship that comes with losing money in business.

“I am a petty businesswoman. I know what it means to suffer loss. If I put that kind of money into my business, I believe God would punish me,” Daily Trust quoted her as saying.

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The trader, Abubakar Dola, who deals in polythene bags at Terminus market, expressed surprise at the woman’s honesty, noting that he had no idea where the money went after mistakenly placing it inside the bag she bought.

Dola said he had planned to transfer the cash through a point of sales (POS) operator but became worried when he could not see the polythene bag where the money was kept.

“I mistakenly included it in what she bought. I didn’t realise until days later, and I had already given up hope. For her to return it after three days is remarkable. I pray Allah rewards her and gives us more people like her.”

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Strait of Hormuz: Comply now or you’ll be history – Trump warns Iran

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“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” were the words with which US President Donald Trump, flashed the redlight signal over what could be the fate of Iran in the coming hours, after a month-old war, which saw leaders of the Islamic nation, all but totally obliterated.

The POTUS, who on Saturday, gave Iran 48 hours to to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic approaches, or comply or risk facing “hell,” later threatened that the US would blow up Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran failed to adhere to his warning.

However, in his latest threat on Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran had until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (1 am WAT) to make a deal, adding: “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business – burning, exploding and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition – by 12 o’clock. And it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen.”

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