Politics

Kano, North will repay Tinubu’s goodwill in 2027 – Barau

Published

6 days ago

October 7, 2025

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, on Monday, stated that the All Progressives Congress, the people of Kano and the northern region will reciprocate the good gestures of President Bola Tinubu, come 2027.

Barau spoke during his annual undergraduate scholarship programme at the newly renamed Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, the state APC Chairman, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdullahi Kadage and the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ado Abdullahi, all showered encomium on Tinubu.

Senator Barau said, “I would like to thank Mr President, the president of our country, the president that we are all proud of, the president who loves Kano, who loves Northern Nigeria, and who loves Nigeria.

“He graciously approved our long-standing request to upgrade this institution to a university, and for that, we remain deeply grateful.”

He noted that the struggle to actualise the upgrade had lasted nearly ten years, adding that President Tinubu’s swift approval demonstrated his administration’s commitment to human capital development.

“The rain that beats you is the real rain,” Barau said metaphorically. “We have never asked or canvassed for anything from Mr President, and he said no. Why shouldn’t we love Mr President? We have to reciprocate, and we are waiting for the time to do that, come 2027.”

He continued, “Whatever we ask him to do, he says, ‘I’ll do it for you.’ When he approved the upgrade of this university, we expressed our sincere gratitude. Human capital, not natural resources, is the number one factor of production in the world today. If you get it right in education, you have succeeded. That’s why we place great value on the educational development of our people.”

Senator Barau also commended President Tinubu for approving the renaming of the institution after the late Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, a former minister, diplomat, and one of Kano’s most revered elder statesmen.

Barau, who described the President as the grandfather of the institution and himself the “father of the university,” pledged continued support for the institution’s growth and development.

“It was painful when the present administration in Kano annulled the decision by the former administration of Dr Ganduje to name a state-owned institution after Alhaji Maitama Sule.

“When I presented a request to President Tinubu to name this institution after our elder statesman, he immediately approved it. This is how he continues to demonstrate love and respect for Kano and our heroes,” he said.

He further reaffirmed his commitment to educational advancement by announcing scholarships for 1,000 students from Kano North Senatorial District, with a promise to extend the gesture to other parts of the state.

“I urge all students to remain focused on their studies. Education is the bedrock of every society. If I, as a grandfather and a PhD student, can continue to pursue learning, then there is no reason for any young person to relent,” he said.

He stressed that investing in education remained the most sustainable path to community empowerment and long-term progress.

The Chairman of the APC in Kano State, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, commended President Tinubu for the conversion and renaming of the institution.

On his part, Ata hailed the President for his numerous interventions in Kano and the North.

Speaking, Professor Abdullahi Tukur Kadage, the Vice Chancellor of Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, praised Senator Barau for his “visionary leadership and unwavering support” for the institution.

He recalled that the university’s establishment stemmed from a bill sponsored by Senator Barau at the National Assembly.

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Politics

Voters head to polls as Cameroon’s Paul Biya eyes extended term

Published

4 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Voters in Cameroon went to the polls on Sunday in a presidential election that is widely expected to see 92-year-old Paul Biya, Africa’s longest-serving leader, extend his 42-year rule for another seven years. If victorious, President Biya would be 99 years old by the end of his new term, continuing his reign in a nation grappling with profound security and economic challenges.

Political experts anticipate a win for Biya, who cast his ballot amid tight security at a primary school in the nation’s capital, Yaounde.

Having ascended to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president, he has since been declared the victor in seven consecutive elections.

Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African nation has had only two leaders.

Biya’s health and frequent, extended stays in Europe have long been subjects of speculation, with daily governance often delegated to senior officials and family members.

A crowded field of familiar faces

President Biya faces a field of nine opposition candidates, though the electoral system heavily favors the incumbent.

Cameroon employs a single-round voting process, where the candidate with the most votes wins, eliminating the possibility of a runoff that could unite opposition support.

His challengers include several former allies and appointees, such as Bello Bouba Maigari, a former tourism minister, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who until recently served as the employment minister.

This fragmentation of the opposition is seen as a key factor in securing Biya’s anticipated victory.

A nation beset by crises

The election unfolds against a backdrop of escalating national crises.

In the western regions, a violent secessionist conflict rages between predominantly English-speaking separatists, who claim marginalization by the French-speaking majority, and government forces.

Meanwhile, in the far north, the spillover of the Boko Haram insurgency from neighboring Nigeria continues to plague border towns with frequent attacks.

These security challenges are compounded by deep-seated socioeconomic issues.

According to United Nations estimates, at least 43% of Cameroon’s population lives in poverty, measured by fundamental standards of income, education, and health.

A young population and an elder leader

With a population of over 29 million that is predominantly young, the election highlights a stark generational contrast.

Approximately 8 million registered voters, including over 34,000 from the diaspora, were eligible to cast their ballots at more than 31,000 polling stations across the country.

As polls officially closed at 6 p.m., the nation now awaits the official results, which are expected no later than October 26.

For many, the outcome seems a foregone conclusion, promising a continuation of the Biya era amidst a complex web of political stability, international scrutiny, and domestic turmoil.

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Politics

Mbah’s planned APC defection tears Enugu PDP apart

Published

2 days ago

October 11, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

The planned defection of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State to the All Progressives Congress has divided key members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

While some PDP chieftains loyal to the governor hailed the move, others vowed not to join him.

The APC had on Wednesday dissolved the Enugu State Executive Committee of the party to pave the way for Mbah’s defection to the ruling party.

The party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, while inaugurating a seven-member caretaker committee for the APC in Enugu, revealed that efforts were underway to strengthen the party’s presence and influence in the South East.

Speaking to journalists after his swearing-in at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday, the Enugu APC Caretaker Chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye, said the state governor would join the ruling party with other lawmakers and key leaders across the state.

Nwoye said, “For the past 10 years, Enugu State has remained in opposition. But all that will change on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, when the governor will be declaring for APC.

“And the governor is not coming alone. The governor is coming in with 260 ward councillors. They will be declaring with the governor. He will be coming in with the 24 members of the House of Assembly. He will be coming in with members of the National Assembly. He will also be coming with the entire Exco.

“Political evangelism has started. We went to the governor, and he has agreed to move with us into APC. He is not coming alone, he is coming with the whole structure of Enugu PDP.”

“Where Enugu goes, the Southeast goes. Never again will opposition dominate our region. Governor Mbah has transformed Enugu in two years. Now, he will anchor APC’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the South-East,” he added.

The Enugu State PDP Publicity Secretary, Chief Uchenna Obute, said as the leader of the PDP in the state and the South-East, Mbah determined the political direction members of the party followed.

Obute said, “We have made it known that Peter Mbah is our party. So, what else do you want me to tell you if somebody says the governor is his political party? It means that wherever he goes, there we go.”

He, however, noted that Mbah had yet to inform the leadership of the party of his intention to defect to the APC.

A source close to the governor confirmed the move but said it might not be as imminent as predicted.

“It may not happen on Tuesday as being speculated,” the source added.

But other members of the PDP in the state distanced themselves from the governor’s move, saying only few of his aides would follow him.

“As we speak, members of the House of Assembly have not been paid their monthly salaries and allowances for the past two months. This is not the first time he will owe salaries and allowances for months. Most times, after so many appeals, he would pay and start owing again,” one of the state lawmakers said.

A former National Auditor of the PDP, Chief Ray Nnaji, also said he and many other PDP members would not defect to the APC with the governor.

Nnaji said, “Those that will follow him to the APC won’t be up to 20 per cent of PDP members in the state, I can assure that. We are waiting for him to step out so that we will regroup and rebuild the party. He has destroyed the party. All the stakeholders who assisted him to win the 2023 election he sidelined them completely, using Lagos consultants and friends.

“Look at the contracts for the Smart School projects, you heard Sujimoto saying that the governor told him that he did not have competent hands in Enugu to execute projects. The stakeholders are just waiting for him to step out.”

Nnaji further noted that while in PDP, Mbah had been lobbying to join the APC, judging by his body language.

“He is defecting because he wants federal might to achieve his re-election bid in 2027, which will be a herculean task for him,” Nnaji said.

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Politics

2027: Oyo residents will decide my successor — Makinde

Published

3 days ago

October 10, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the choice of who would succeed him in 2027 rests solely with the people of the state, not with political godfathers or entitlement claims.

Makinde said this on Thursday in Ibadan while flagging off the zonal stakeholders’ consultative forum and engagement meeting on the 2026 Budget.

According to the governor, the decision of who becomes the next governor of Oyo state rests on all eligible voters in the state.

“Oyo State has gone beyond the era of politics based on entitlement or propaganda.

“Rather, the people of the state are now more politically enlightened and they will only support leaders who present credible plans and demonstrate capacity for development,” he said.

Makinde, while reflecting on his own experience before coming into office in 2019, noted that leadership must be about accountability, not entitlement.

He recalled that many people doubted his capability when he first sought the governorship position, because he had not held any political office.

“In 2018, when I was consulting to become governor, there was no yardstick to measure me. I had never been a councillor or a local government chairman, but I asked the people to trust me and judge me by my actions,” he said.

The governor urged political leaders to focus on policies and projects that directly impact the lives of citizens rather than engaging in political theatrics.

He said his administration’s approach to challenges has been to present a clear roadmap for Oyo State’s development, “one that people can read, evaluate, and hold us accountable to.”

Makinde expressed optimism that the people of the state would continue to support leaders who prioritise progress, inclusivity, and the well-being of citizens over personal ambition.

Speaking at the 7th Stakeholders Consultative Forum, the governor said that his administration would continue to consult and engage with residents of the state on the making of the state’s annual budgets, with a view to knowing their aspirations and prioritising their needs.

He maintained that the stakeholders’ engagement was to enable his government to serve the residents of the state better through a bottom-up approach to development, noting that his administration began the tradition in 2019.

According to him, his government first separated the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning from the Ministry of Finance in order to ensure better management of the state’s resources and to avoid discrepancies.

He stated that the stakeholders’ engagement had resulted in better budget performances and economic development of the state.

Makinde reiterated that his government would continue to serve the interests of the people of the state by putting in place institutions that would ensure that the environment was safe and ready to attract investments.

He added that the state was growing rapidly and that this development had stopped rural-urban migration with the construction of Moniya-Iseyin Road, Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road, Oyo-Iseyin Road, among other infrastructural projects, which have opened rural communities.

PUNCH Online reports that Makinde is currently serving as governor for the second time.

The governor, whose term ends in 2027, had earlier this month advocated a single term of five or six years for elected political office holders across all levels of government in Nigeria, against the current double term of four years each.

He said a single term of five or six years is enough for any government to focus and serve the people and deliver on its mandate.

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