Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 2nd February, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 2nd February 2023

1. FG Reacts To Nigeria’s Latest Corruption Ranking

The Federal Government has rejected the latest corruption ranking data released by Transparency International.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, rejected the data while addressing State House Correspondents at a briefing after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mohammed said it was not fighting corruption to impress civil society organisations, Transparency International, or any other anti-corruption watchdog.

It said the government was not bothered about the latest TI rating because it has fought corruption to the barest minimum, adding that its anti-corruption drive was meant to ensure growth across all sectors of the nation’s economy.

2. Do Not Extend New Deadline For Old Naira Notes Swap – Atiku To CBN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria not to grant any further extension after February 10 deadline for naira swap.

In a statement on Wednesday, through his campaign office, Atiku Abubakar stated that any further extension would defeat the purpose and objective of initiating the redesigning of the currency.

He asked the apex bank to immediately review the measures it has put in place for ensuring the seamless circulation of the new naira notes, adding that the additional ten days will enable people in the rural areas and ordinary people across the country to take the naira in their possession into the banks.

According to the former Vice President, the initial extension will enable the CBN to further circulate the new currency notes among banks so that people can have easy access.

3. Why Powers In Aso Rock Are Working Against Tinubu – El-Rufai

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Wednesday claimed that some elements in the Presidential Villa are against the presidential ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, Bola Tinubu.

According to El-Rufai, the elements are against Tinubu because their preferred presidential aspirant was defeated in the primaries of the APC.

El-Rufai claimed that those people are working on seeing the ruling party defeated in the February presidential election.

The Kaduna State Governor disclosed this during an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday.

El-Rufai disclosed this while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.

The governor said those individual elements are hiding behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to do what he thinks is right.

4. Broadband Is 100% In Nigeria, Can Be Accessed Everywhere – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari boasted on Wednesday that broadband can now be accessed everywhere across Nigeria.

The Nigerian leader said claims that the country has recorded 43% in broadband penetration were false, describing the update as obsolete.

Buhari maintained that there was currently 100 percent broadband penetration in Nigeria, negating the common belief of some persons.

Naija News understands that Buhari disclosed this at the maiden Digital Economy Conference of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), held at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry complex.

According to him, from 23 percent coverage in 2019, the Federal Government had increased the broadband penetration by 77 percent to 100 percent in 2023.

“As of today, broadband can be accessed everywhere in the country, whether in the urban area, rural area or desert. We are the first African country to attain this and the only one so far,” the President stated.

Speaking further, the Nigerian leader revealed that the communication ministry’s quarterly revenue had grown considerably, adding that it has moved from generating N51bn in three months to N408bn in three months.

5. Tinubu Didn’t Ridicule Buhari In Calabar – APC Campaign Council

The All Progressives Congress Campaign Council (APC PCC) has denied media reports that its flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ridiculed President Muhammadu Buhari over the exchange rate.

Naija News reported that Tinubu, during his speech at the APC presidential rally in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, said when the Buhari government took over, the naira/dollar exchange rate was about N200 to a dollar, but it has depreciated to about N800 to the dollar on the parallel market.

But in a statement on Wednesday, the PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu’s reference to exchange rate was not in any way an attack on the Muhammadu Buhari-led government but an attempt to capture how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mismanaged the economy and forex crisis in the country since 2015.

Onanuga said Tinubu was not referring to Buhari and didn’t malign the president whatsoever, adding that the attempt by the opposition party to cause rift between the two leaders will fail. He added that the APC, its leadership and President Buhari are strongly united behind Tinubu.

He stated that Tinubu only advised the people not to vote for the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, because of their litany of failures while in power for 16 years.

6. Supreme Court Sacks Bwacha As Taraba APC Governorship Candidate

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has nullified the primary election that produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State.

Recall that the Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, on September 20, sacked Bwacha as the APC’s governorship candidate following a suit by a former aspirant, David Kente.

The court judge, Justice Simon Amobeda, granted Kente’s prayer and sacked the lawmaker as the winner of the primary polls.

The court ruled that the APC did not conduct any valid governorship primary in the state, hence the nullification of Bwacha’s nomination as the party’s gubernatorial candidate in Taraba.

Kente and Senator Abubakar Yusuf, another poll aspirant, contested Bwacha’s victory, alleging irregularities in the primary election that produced Bwacha.

However, the Court of Appeal in Yola set aside the ruling that nullified the primary that produced Bwacha as the APC governorship candidate for Taraba State.

The appeal court ordered that Bwacha’s name should be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the APC governorship candidate in Taraba.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, a five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun affirmed the verdict of the Federal High Court that sacked the Taraba Senator.

7. FG Replies El-Rufai, Denies Buhari Working Against Tinubu

The Federal Government has reacted to Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s saying that someone in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet is working against the victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily Programme earlier on Wednesday (today), Governor El-Rufai alleged that some elements in the Presidential Villa are against Tinubu’s 2023 presidency.

According to El-Rufai, the elements are against Tinubu because their preferred presidential aspirant was defeated in the primaries of the APC.

The APC chieftain cited the naira redesign policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as one of several schemes targeted at Tinubu, who also made a similar claim a week earlier.

In a swift reaction, however, the federal government said it was not officially aware of any entity in the Presidential Villa working against the victory of the ruling party’s presidential flag bearer.

Addressing State House Correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said President Buhari was neither favouring nor disfavouring any presidential candidate ahead of the February 25th election.

“If there’s anybody who is working against any candidate, we don’t know officially,” the Minister said.

Mohammed argued that the Buhari-led government has been fair to all candidates regardless of party affiliations.

8. Tinubu, Peter Obi? Wike Reacts To Threat To Publicly Announce Preferred Candidate

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has slammed the former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, over the threat to publicly name his preferred presidential candidate, ahead of the forthcoming election.

All eyes have been on Wike in the light of his assurance that he would make his preferred candidate known in January 2023.

There has been speculations that he would choose between the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, and Labour Party (LP) flagbearer, Peter Obi.

Naija News earlier reported that Dakuku on Tuesday during the APC rally in Opobo-Nkoro accused Wike of placing personal interest above public interests.

He added that Wike is not a man of courage as he ought to have publicly revealed his preferred presidential candidate for the February 25 polls.

However, Wike while speaking at the PDP governorship campaign rally in Port Harcourt on Wednesday fired back at Dakuku, stating that failure and success are not at the same level.

Setting the record straight, the governor refuted claims that he would publicly announce his preferred candidate saying that residents of the state are already aware of his choice.

9. PDP Crisis: Atiku Gives Update On Rift With G5 Governors

The People Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has given an update on the crisis rocking the main opposition party.

Atiku, in an interview with BBC Hausa service, broadcast on Tuesday, said that the party leadership is still talking with the five aggrieved governors popularly known as G5 Governors and their allies.

The former Vice President argued that the party crisis will definitely not affect his chances in the forthcoming presidential election because the party is satisfied with the elections preparations.

Atiku, however, said elections now is not like in the past when a governor will dictate who to vote for, saying that elections today is in the hands of the voters.

10. That Audio Has Disclosed Nothing New – Atiku Replies Achimugu

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has declared that there is nothing new in the corruption allegations levelled against him by his former aide, Michael Achimugu.

The former Vice President said this in an interview with the BBC where he reacted to the trending allegations by Achimugu.

Naija News recalls the former aide in a series of leaked audios posted on the internet had accused Atiku of setting up fake companies and using them to divert government funds to his private pocket while he was in power.

However, the 2023 PDP candidate during the interview with BBC said all corruption allegations against him have been investigated in the past and he wasn’t found wanting.

He, therefore, declared the allegations by Achimugu as nothing new. The PDP candidate also said he is the most investigated person in the country.

Responding to a direct question which sought to confirm if the voice in the audio leaked by Achimugu was his own, Atiku said: “that audio has disclosed nothing new”.

Those are the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.