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Presidency: Obasanjo woos North for Obi/Baba-Ahmed

Published

3 years ago

July 31, 2022

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A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is said to be making efforts to market the presidential bid of the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi in the Northern part of the country ahead of the forthcoming general elections scheduled for early next year.

Competent sources in the know told Saturday Telegraph that Obasanjo has in recent past met with various individuals and critical groups in the North with a view to making the region look in the direction of the former Anambra State governor to succeed incumbent Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“It is true that former President Olusegun has commenced visits to numerous personalities and groups in the North to drum up support for the Peter Obi and Datti Baba- Ahmed presidential ticket in the North. This fact I can confirm,” says a chieftain of a prominent socio-political group in the North who pleaded not to be mentioned.

According to the source, Obasanjo has been using two important points in his bid to get the buy-in of his hosts but the source added that the efforts have only yielded minimal fruits as many people in the North are said to wary of the possibility of an Obi Presidency to the long time interest of the region (North).

“Baba (Obasanjo) has been visiting people here in the North to market the candidature of the Labour Party, telling the people and the groups that he has visited to consider the likelihood of the Presidency going to the South East next year. “He has been telling us that Obi would not do anything to injure the interest of the North if considered by our people to become the President. He told us that a similar thing had happened in the past that didn’t injure the interest of the North,” the source said.

Our source stated that the ‘similar thing’ under reference was the emergence of former President Goodluck Jonathan who became the president via the intervention of Obasanjo and other stakeholders in 2010. “Our people told Baba that the issue of secessionist agitation in the South East is a source of worry to them.

Baba replied by saying the militant agitation in the South South died down and has never reared its head again since Jonathan became president. He (Obasanjo) told stakeholders that the emergence of Obi would halt the agitation,” the source said.

The selling point Obasanjo has been using to push the former governor include Obi’s perceived frugal approach to governance, which he (the former president) says is a positive score considering the state of the country’s finances which is believed to be so precarious and worrisome.

Another source said Obasanjo is not making serious headway in his efforts owing to what he termed age-long suspicion that the North has for the South East but that “things might eventually change before the election. We still have several months ahead before the election.”

Findings by our correspondent reveal that the efforts of the former President resulted in the emergence of a former member of the Upper Chambers, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed as the running mate to Obi.

When contacted, the media aide to the former President, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi feigned ignorance of the move but promised to get back to our correspondent after consulting with his boss. “I don’t know if anything like that has happened. As I speak to you now, Baba (Obasanjo) is currently in Lagos”, he said. (New Telegraph)

Related Topics:Peter Obi Peter Obi-Datti Baba

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BREAKING: Coup Plot against Tinubu: 16 Military Officers arrested, detained by Defence Intelligence

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3 minutes ago

October 18, 2025

Advocate News Nigeria

BREAKING: Coup Plot against Tinubu: 16 Military Officers arrested, detained by Defence Intelligence

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At least sixteen senior military officers are currently in custody following allegations of a coup plot to topple President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, SaharaReporters has revealed.

According to the online publication, the officers, ranging from the rank of Captain to Brigadier General were picked up from various locations across the country in a coordinated operation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other security bodies.

While the Defence Headquarters initially described the arrests as part of a “routine military exercise” involving “issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” sources within the military said the official explanation was a smokescreen to avoid panic.

“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson,” a senior DIA official was quoted as saying. “They had begun holding secret meetings to overthrow the President and announce a military government.”

In its earlier release, the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said the officers’ detention followed internal investigations into misconduct and disobedience.

“Investigations have revealed that their grievances stemmed largely from perceived career stagnation caused by repeated failure in promotion examinations, among other issues,” Gusau stated. “Some of the apprehended officers had been under jurisdiction for various offences, either awaiting or undergoing trial. Their conduct was deemed incompatible with the standards of military service.”

However, insiders insisted that the arrests were linked to an attempted coup that was foiled after intelligence agencies intercepted communications and meeting plans.

A top source disclosed that the conspirators planned to execute the coup during the October 1 Independence Day parade, targeting President Tinubu and other senior officials in attendance.

“Yes, they were arrested for planning to stage a coup and take over government,” the source confirmed. “That was why the Independence Day parade marking the country’s 65th anniversary was abruptly cancelled. Intelligence indicated they intended to strike during the event.”

The source further revealed that the National Security Adviser and service chiefs advised the presidency to suspend the parade after credible intelligence showed that the conspirators had positioned armed men for the assault.

Nigeria has a long and turbulent history with military coups. Since independence in 1960, the country has witnessed five successful coups and several abortive ones, each leaving deep scars on its democratic evolution.

The recent development has reignited public anxiety over growing discontent within the military ranks amid worsening economic hardship and security challenges across the country.

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Bandits, illegal miners clash over gold claim 17 lives in Kaduna

Published

15 minutes ago

October 18, 2025

Advocate News Nigeria

Over 100 peasants abducted as gunmen invade Zamfara communities

Bandits

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Clashes between criminal gangs and illegal miners in northwestern Nigeria over gold have killed at least 17 people, according to a security report prepared for the UN and seen by AFP on Friday.

The clashes took place on Thursday in Kaduna state, one of several in northwestern and central Nigeria that for years have been terrorised by criminal gangs of cattle thieves and kidnapping for ransom by bandits.

The gangs maintain camps in a vast forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states from where they launch attacks on communities.

Violence erupted at an illegal mining site in Birnin Gwari district when a bandit kingpin “extorted gold from miners at gunpoint”, the report said.

Miners mobilised and killed the bandit leader, prompting reprisals from his comrades who raided the mining site, “shooting and killing seven miners”, according to the report.

Later the same day, bandits raided nearby Layin Danauta village where they killed nine people, wounded 13 others, kidnapped several residents and destroyed property, the report said.

Birnin Gwari, a mineral-rich agricultural hub, had seen a sharp drop in bandit violence since Kaduna state government brokered a peace agreement between bandits and residents in November last year.

The district has seen an influx since 2021 of bandits and Al-Qaeda-aligned Ansaru jihadists, who forged a close alliance with the bandits and took control of most of the district, enforcing a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

Resident Muhammad Kabir told AFP the latest clashes had caused panic in the community over a potential resumption of violence in the area after a lull.

“We have been enjoying relative peace since the peace deal was signed but this latest violence risks jeopardising it,” Kabir said.

He confirmed the killing of the bandit leader and the deadly raid in nearby Layin Danauta village.

Although bandits have no ideological leaning and are motivated by financial gain, their close alliance with jihadists waging an armed rebellion in the northeast has alarmed officials and security experts.

Since the peace agreement was signed, bandits’ sources of revenue from kidnapping and levies on farming communities dropped sharply, leaving them with taxing illegal mining sites which have mushroomed following the peace deal, according to the security report for the United Nations.

The report warned that the latest clashes may lead to a “degeneration” of the peace while further clashes remain likely.

AFP

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Five Police officers, three vigilantes killed in Zamfara bandit ambush, Gov Lawal mourns

Published

1 day ago

October 17, 2025

Advocate News Nigeria

Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal

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Armed bandits reportedly killed five policemen and three Community Protection Guards during a patrol along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, residents and officials said on Friday.

The attack occurred on Thursday evening near Gidan-Giye village, few kilometres from Tsafe town, when gunmen hiding in nearby bushes opened fire on a police patrol vehicle, killing all eight occupants on the spot, a resident, Ya’u Musa, told newsmen.

“The bandits suddenly opened fire on the patrol team. All the policemen and guards died instantly before the attackers fled on motorcycles into the forest,” Musa said.

He added that the bodies of the victims were later taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau, the state capital.

Local officials said the slain officers were attached to the Zamfara State Government House and had been deployed to the Gusau–Funtua Road to provide protection for travellers following repeated bandit attacks in the area.

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal confirmed the incident in a statement posted on his official Facebook page, describing the attack as “a great loss to the state.”

“I just received the sad news of the death of eight security personnel, comprising policemen and Community Protection Guards, who were ambushed and killed by bandits along the Gusau–Funtua Road,” Lawal wrote. “May Allah forgive them and grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Northwest Nigeria has faced escalating violence from armed gangs, known locally as bandits, who raid villages, kidnap residents for ransom, and target security forces in the region’s ongoing security crisis.