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Tinubu’s victory: They’re dangerously pushing me to reveal what I know about Shettima – Datti-Ahmed
Datti Baba Ahmed has warned those pushing him to make a revelation about Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s Vice President allegedly forced Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to announce President Bola Tinubu as winner of the 2023 presidential election to pull back, because the road they are travelling is too dangerous.
He sounded the warning on Tuesday, while appearing on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS, television network, the second time he would be doing so, in one month, maintaining that he stood by his the claim he made against the VP, which details he refused to adduce despite pressure by his host.
On the same programme, on July 2, he had said: “On Shettima, I don’t blame Tinubu, because whoever knows what Shettima did and does, will not allow him last this long. What he did, the airwaves cannot carry it. I know I’m speaking on TV. So, Tinubu has tried keeping him this long. I think the consideration that he be dropped, I think Tinubu has tried.
“It is pregnant. I wish I could say it. What people. What people do for power is unbelievable. I’m more than gasping for air to understand how certain things can give you power. It is not of this world and it did happen. They do, do it. Somebody one day must come out and say, this is what politicians do for power.
Challenged about the fairness of his claims, he argued: “It is not fair, because even saying it is more unfair. It is even more drastic. But I’m saying it because it has to be said. Some of the things, the more you see them, the less you understand.
“Why was it (Tinubu’s election) declared at 4am? On the 28 (February, 2023), Mahmood Yakubu said he was adjourning till next day. Next day technically and legally-speaking is 9am. But by 4am, he sneaked and declared Tinubu the winner. What transpired in-between?
“Who came from one house in Asokoro to another house to say it must be declared. What I’m saying is it is too bad that the airwaves cannot carry it. Something happened that morning before 4am that they said before this thing finished – this thing finished at the Nigerian border.
“Believe me, Tinubu has tried. He has tried for keeping this man this long and for even giving him the privilege of being replaced. I think it’s good enough. In this world, there are things you rather not talk about, because it is just too bad. This tv station is not a court of law. I know what insinuations are, I know what allegations are. I’m not crazy. I’m not insane and I know what I’m saying that what people do for power is unspeakable.
“And this has to stop. Why are we getting everything wrong in Nigeria? Why can’t our leaders perform? Because of what people do for power. The difference between us losers and some winners is because there are certain things we cannot do. There are certain lines we cannot cross. But others will say whatever there is to do, do it. It is better there are no clarity to what I’m saying – better.”
His comments had drawn a barrage of criticisms from members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with Hanatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, who appeared on the same programme, last week, particularly calling him out and demanding an apology to be tendered to the VP for what she regarded as a very dangerous statement.
But a visibly upset Datti-Ahmed, fired back at the Minister when the issue was brought up, saying instead of dabbling into such a matter that was too dangerous and hot to handle, she should be advised it was better to deploy the same energy to go and mend her past life, adding that she must not push him to make the revelation he was trying to keep under the wraps.
Sounding quite adamant, he said: “I’m holding my head high and I’m repeating here again and I’m on air in a very credible TV station with highly professional individual that evils do happen in societies like Nigeria and Nigerian politics has not been shielded from that. So, I’m holding my head high and in the service of God Almighty to say this.
“By the way, don’t expect me to join issues with this woman. I will not. I have been on a mission to take over her boss’s job and I’ll not allow her to distract me. we’re not related. Her senior brother is a very good friend of mine and we’re talking about distant relations. Let’s not talk about families there. Like I said, if someone like Nana Kazuare is free, he should ask the Minister to go and reconcile her past life and leave me alone.
“I’m dealing with Shettima and what I said was that Uncle Tinubu, has tried for staying put with him for this long. Now, the Minister, her honourable self, there’s one special assistant in the Villa – they could be mor logical by saying, ‘I tried to see something which I couldn’t see.’ They are waiting for me to and encouraging me to say what it is so that they could respond. I haven’t said it. And they’re so recklessly, dangerously inching closer for the world to know what this thing is.
“It is even mor unfair to for me to say it the way they want me to say it now. Saying it is even more drastic. Where have you been? Why are you trying to pretend? When the case of Okija – do you remember Okija – 2004-2005 – was it a lie? I know I was speaking about a very powerful individual. You can accuse me of intense opposition, you can never catch me for lying. I’m not perfect, but I don’t lie.
“Instead of keeping quiet – nobody has been unfair to Shettima like the people who refuse to allow this thing to die. They should have simply kept quiet and let it go. They refused and people are still talking about it. What I said was that before that 4am declaration that President Tinubu won 2023 presidential election, things happened that it had to be at that 4am.
“Let’s leave it at that because if I were lying, I would either be in court by now or some other – but I’m not lying. These things happened. I won’t say it and the likes of this Minister and that special assistant, they will go and bring it out and then, they will be the ones who exposed it. I agree I shouldn’t have said it. In 24 years of politics and interviews that has never happened and for it to happen and to be insisted upon, then you know whoever is saying it, means it.”
Buildings seized for being used as havens for criminal activities are now to be converting to police bases or residences, instead of demolishing them, if the new proposal by the Anambra State Police Command, sails through.
Ikioye Orutugu, Commissioner of Police, who canvassed for the new arrangement on Wednesday, told reporters that it made more sense putting such buildings to good use than pulling them down or setting them ablaze.
The police boss spoke against the backdrop of the burning down of big edifice in Nkpo, a community in Idemili North Local Government to the state, said to have provided a base for criminals and hideout for kidnappers, as part of the major breakthroughs by the command in recent times.
Three kidnap people including a medical doctor, were said to have been smoked out from the building, which was instantly torched in line with the Anambra State 2025 Homeland Security Laws, which empowers the state government to demolish any property used for or suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Against the backdrop of the number of buildings that had previously been pulled down, and the empty land taken over as government properties, the police boss, said it was not the best thing to do, insisting that the government should rather acquire such buildings and designate them as police posts or residences of police personnel.
Reeling out the streak of successes recorded in recent times in the state, the police boss, said they included the arrest of kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers, child traffickers, sexual predators, separatist agitators and other criminal elements.
Citing one of them as “the strategic clearance operation on 7th May 2026 in Owerre-Ezukala, Orumba South Local Government Area, he said: “Recall that the camp was earlier destroyed by a Joint Security Team. Before the confession, one Nnamdi Nkemdilim Ogbonna, male, aged 37 years, allegedly one of the top commanders of the proscribed secessionists group, is in custody as well as intelligence received overtime points on how some escaped gang members were attempting to regroup.
“The offensive operation led to the recovery of one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 locally made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one locally made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition, one gas cylinder and one black Ecolac box.
“The operatives also dislodged the armed criminals and sustained operational dominance in the area to prevent any regrouping. We remain committed to sustaining ongoing operations against all forms of criminality and ensuring the safety and security of Anambra people.”
The door is now shut permanently in the face of the Federal Government towards taking up the 12.5 – being the remainder of its proposed 20 per cent stake in the Dangote Refineries, Africa’s first privately owned concern.
That means the government would now be stuck with the 7.5 per cent only it was able to pick up and which it currently holds in the $20 billion, 650 barrels per day capacity refinery, which came into operation in 2023 as the concern is insisting it is no longer interested in the remaining 12.5 per cent stake.
Instead of the government, the organisation, currently responsible for the supply of the major chunk of petroleum products in Nigeria and many parts of Africa, is now planning to bring in ordinary Nigerians into the mix to lap up the stake in the near future.
Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, who made the revelation, Nicolai Tangen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), that the group had since rejected requests by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, to increase its 7.25 per cent stake in the firm.
The PUNCH, quoted the African Richest Man (ARM), as saying in the interview that the NNPC’s offer to increase its 7.25 per cent stake in the refinery was rejected because the company Dangote was planning to go public and give other Nigerians the opportunity to own shares in the plant.
Dangote had revealed that after acquiring the original 7.5 per cent in 2021, for $1bn, with an option to acquire the remaining 12.75 per cent stake by June 2024, NNPC Limited began to stall, and ended up reneging on its decision.
However, the national oil company had made attempts to acquire more stakes in the refinery, since that, but this was turned down, adding that the biggest risks the business could face were either civil war and government policy inconsistencies.
Hear him: “Actually, if there are civil wars, which is not in the offing at all. The other biggest risk is government inconsistencies in policies, and we are addressing that one because if you look at our refinery, the national oil company already owns 7.25 per cent, and they are trying to buy more. We are the ones that said no; we want to now spread it and have everybody be part of it.”
Dangote, had in 2014, informed Nigerians on how, Mele Kyari, former Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (GMD-CEO), had reduced NNPC’s stake in the refinery from 20 per cent to 7.25 per cent.
He had said then: “The agreement was actually 20 per cent, which we had with NNPC, and they did not pay the balance of the money up until last year; then we gave them another extension up until June (2024), and they said that they would remain where they had already paid, which is 7.2 per cent. So NNPC owns only 7.2 per cent, not 20 per cent.
The business mogul, who painted a seducing picture of what is at stake in the new opportunities, including the provision of getting dividends in foreign currencies, told his Norwegian host: “What we are announcing is that when you invest in any of our businesses going forward, in cement or in the refinery, in petrochemicals, in fertiliser, we guarantee to pay you a dividend in dollars because we are very well into exports. 80 per cent of our revenue will be in dollars.”
Explaining how he sourced funds for building the refinery, from various financial institutions, including Nigerian banks, he said the initial plan was to fund most of the construction work from our internally generated funds, but because of naira devaluation, the group had to rely on Afreximbank, Africa Finance Corporation, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, UBA and a couple of the local banks.
“But of course we also have a very good relationship with the Standard Bank of South Africa and, at the beginning, Standard Chartered Bank of the UK. We were lucky and what happened when the plant was completed turned out to be much more than our own expectations.”
The coast has brightened for Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, having been given the opportunity of obtaining the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for next year’s governorship election, contrary to reports in some quarters that he has been denied.
Vanguard reports that he was one of the 30 governors cleared by the party’s screening committee, including Hope Uzodimma of Imo, a two-term governor, who is currently eyeing a seat at the Senate.
Others cleared, included Sarafadeen Alli, former Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG), for the 2027, the report said, quoting sources, who revealed that the screening report was yet to be released due to a deluge of petitions flooding the party.
To beat the deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the submission of the list of the names of successful candidates, the party said it now would publish the names of cleared aspirants on May 13.
Regarding the dithering on the release of the 2,980, comprising of one aspirants for one presidential slot, 28 governorship, 109 Senate, 360 House of Representatives, and 991 state assembly positions, a source was quoted as saying: “We are still working on the screening report to make sure everything goes well. The day is not over yet.
“We received many petitions from the eight panels that conducted the primaries. For instance, one of the panels received 10 petitions and the petitions have to be treated on their merit.”
Regarding the fate of Fubara, the source was quoted as saying the governor, whose tenure has been dogged by much of internal and external battles even after joining the APC last year, the source confirmed that he was not disqualified as speculated.
His words: “Nooo! No governor has been booted out. The party has always supported its governors. Some of them like Uzodimma got automatic clearance. To ensure we have a united front in 2027, we are working towards consensus but where that fails, direct primaries will be held in accordance with the Electoral Act. We know some of the high-profile aspirants don’t want to consent, and are ready to go to court. We don’t want that.”
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