Author name: clickreportteam

Former Senate Leader and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Ali Ndume, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing some officials of being “kakistrocrats” who dominate the presidency. Ndume made the remark on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he urged President Tinubu to remove officials he considered incompetent before they caused further damage to his administration. He described the recent controversy involving an alleged fake government agency operating from the premises of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s office as evidence of poor oversight within the administration. According to Ndume, capable officials would have prevented such incidents from occurring. He, however, commended Tinubu for ordering the arrest of Nwabueze George, who was allegedly involved in operating the fake agency. Ndume maintained that the president needed to take stronger action against officials responsible for what he described as embarrassing lapses in the government.

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has reaffirmed his commitment to restoring petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027. Atiku made the clarification on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the Osun State leadership of the ADC. He said comments by his media aide, Paul Ibe, suggesting that the proposed subsidy would eventually be phased out did not reflect his position. The former vice-president said he remained committed to restoring subsidy, arguing that Nigeria had enough resources to improve the welfare and purchasing power of its citizens. According to Atiku, his proposed policy would focus on easing the impact of rising fuel, transportation and food costs rather than returning to the previous system of subsidising imported petrol. He said the intervention would support domestic refining, reduce energy and transportation costs and improve Nigerians’ purchasing power. He also stated that the proposed subsidy would be targeted and designed to prevent abuse. Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the intervention would be capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited. He added that it would be gradually withdrawn as domestic refining capacity increased, fuel supply stabilised and competition improved. The debate over petrol subsidy has intensified ahead of the 2027 elections following its removal by President Bola Tinubu in May 2023, which led to a significant increase in fuel prices and living costs.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Arewa Consultative Forum, Pan Niger Delta Forum and Middle Belt Forum have called for greater scrutiny of the backgrounds and records of politicians seeking elective positions. The groups said Nigerians had the right to know the educational history, integrity and track records of candidates before entrusting them with political power. The ACF said presidential aspirants should be prepared to account for their past and provide more than just certificates to prove their qualifications. The ACF Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Baba, said candidates seeking the presidency should expect questions about their history, stressing that leadership required transparency and accountability. He added that Nigerians were ultimately more concerned about the impact of governance on areas such as healthcare, education, housing and household welfare.PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, supported the call, saying aspirants should make their life journeys and records available to the people they intended to serve. He compared political leadership to a job application, where candidates were expected to present their experience and qualifications. Similarly, MBF President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said candidates should be judged by their achievements and track records rather than campaign promises. He urged all aspirants to subject themselves to proper scrutiny so voters could make informed decisions. However, Afenifere General Secretary, Chief Ademola Folarin, cautioned that while examining candidates’ backgrounds was useful, moral judgments could be subjective. He maintained that legal requirements remained the ultimate standard for determining eligibility for public office.

The presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has disagreed with African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027. Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Obi argued that subsidy removal remained necessary, saying the major problem was the alleged mismanagement of funds saved from the policy. Obi said the government should have redirected the savings into programmes that would benefit Nigerians instead of allowing the resources to be “mismanaged and stolen.” He added that he had proposed an organised approach to subsidy removal in his 2023 manifesto. Atiku, who had supported fuel subsidy removal during the 2023 presidential election, recently said he would restore the policy if elected in 2027. The disagreement formed part of wider debates among opposition presidential candidates at the NBA conference over Nigeria’s economy, insecurity, policing and governance.

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu has outperformed every democratically elected Nigerian president during their first terms in office. Morka made the statement on Monday during an interview with Channels Television, saying Tinubu inherited an economy that was in serious crisis when he assumed office in 2023. He attributed the country’s previous economic challenges to successive administrations, describing the Muhammadu Buhari government as a transition from the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party. Morka also argued that Tinubu’s policies had improved Nigeria’s macroeconomic situation, claiming that even some critics of the administration were beginning to acknowledge the progress. However, he did not provide specific economic indicators or comparisons with previous presidents to support his claim that Tinubu had outperformed them all.