Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Sunday, 9th April, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Sunday, 9th April 2023.

Buhari Reacts To Benue Killings, Gives Order To Security Agencies

President Muhammadu Buhari has tasked security agencies to bring the perpetrators of the incessant killings in Benue State to book.

According to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the president condemned the series of attacks going on in the state by alleged herders.

The president was reacting to the recent violent attack by armed criminals on the Umogidi community, Entekpa-Adoka in the Otukpo council area where not less than 46 persons were reported killed on Wednesday night.

Naija News gathered that Wednesday’s attack was a sequel to a similar attack that had happened less than 24 hours before that.

According to the statement, the president has however called for all efforts to be made to end the “extreme violence.”

While faulting the use of terrorism as a tool for inter-communal conflicts, the president appealed for the attackers to be found and dealt with swiftly under the law.

‘Let’s Shun Ethnic, Religious Rivalries’ – Tinubu Sends Easter Message To Nigerians

The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to shun ethnic and religious strife for the country to attain prosperity faster.

In his Easter goodwill message signed by him on Saturday, Tinubu urged Nigerians all over the world to begin to live more harmoniously with their compatriots.

The president-elect also enjoined Christians across the country to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ by showing love to neighbours, regardless of tongue, faith, and tribe as they celebrate Easter.

He noted that Easter was about renewed hope and redemption, adding that it symbolised the triumph of hope over despair, love over hate and condemnation, and optimism over cynicism.

Tinubu said Nigeria will make faster progress toward the achievement of the peaceful, united, strong, progressive, and prosperous country we all desire if we eschew divisive, parochial, ethnic, and religious sentiments and rivalries.

See Mouth-Watering Retirement Packages For Wike, Okowa, Ganduje, Matawalle, Others

No fewer than 17 state governors across the federation would be handing over come May 29, 2023.

Naija News gathered that most of these governors would be retiring into a life of luxury when they retire next month regardless of the economic crises rocking most states.

It was learnt the outgoing governors, most of whom will be completing two terms of eight years in office on May 28, will be entitled to generous monetary pensions backed by laws.

Some of the 17 governors that are ending their tenure include Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Badaru Abubakar(Jigawa), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and David Umahi (Ebonyi).

Others are Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Abubakar Bello (Niger), Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Aminu Masari (Katsina) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).

This online news platform gathered from The Punch, in Rivers State, Wike and his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, would be retiring to three new vehicles which are subject to change every three years.

IGP Orders Posting/Redeployment Of AIGs To Various Departments, Commands, Formations [Full List]

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the posting/redeployment of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to Departments, Commands, and Formations.

In a statement obtained by Naija News on Saturday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, stated that the posting and redeployment was in line with the IGP’s manpower development policy of fitting the right persons into appropriate roles.

“This is in line with the IGP’s mandate and strategies to strengthen the operational structures of commands, departments, and formations,” he said.

The IGP charged all newly posted and redeployed officers to put their best foot forward in ensuring that the activities of their new Commands, Formations, and Departments align with the Police Reform mandate.

He also tasked them to ensure compliance with all standard operating procedures in the discharge of their responsibilities, adding that the posting is with immediate effect.

‘How They Tried To Entrap Peter Obi With Women, Dug Into His Finances, Bank Accounts’

Controversies over the build-up to the 2023 presidential election continue to brew as a new report claims that the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, was specifically targeted.

Naija News reports that the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25th polls.

According to him, Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to win over 25 per cent of the votes cast in 30 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required.

Yakubu also said Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with a total of 6,984,520 votes while Peter Obi came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.

Both Atiku and Obi have challenged the results at the Presidential Election Tribunal on account of alleged substantial noncompliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, voter intimidation/ vote suppression, violence as well as result manipulation among other infractions.

However, the Labour Party has claimed that due to the intensity of Peter Obi’s challenge, he has become a target of state-sponsored intimidation, blackmail, threats, invasion of privacy and other acts of subterfuge aimed at forcing him to abandon his legal challenge.

Speakership 2023: Wase, Abbas, Kalu, And Others Intensify Lobby

The battle for the speakership of the 10th national assembly is heating up as those aspiring for the seat are actively lobbying all necessary stakeholders for the 4th highest office in the land.

Since the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the presidential election in the just concluded 2023 general election and also won the majority of seats, the APC is expected to produce the speaker of the 10th national assembly.

The major aspirants for the Speakership

The 10th assembly came with a very interesting setup especially the House of Representatives in which the majority of the returning members are new members which means that most of the old members have lost their seats.

Based on the concluded constituency elections, out of the 360 expected members of the House of Representatives, 280 members are coming to the House for the first time in the 10th assembly. This means that if these new members work together, they might decide the direction of the new assembly.

Notwithstanding, based on the power structure of the assembly, none of the new members can contest to be speakers. Hence, some of the old members who succeeded in returning to the house have stepped up their campaign for the seat ahead of June 2023 when the new assembly will be inaugurated.

LP Crisis: Council Of Chairmen Calls For Urgent NEC Meeting

The Council of Chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) has called for an urgent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

The development was contained in a communique issued by the Council of Chairmen, which represents all 36 states of the federation including the FCT, Chief Rotimi Kehinde, Chairman of the Chairmen Forum.

The council in the communique said the recent development in the party, where what it described as a few insignificant members of the NWC led by Apapa Lamidi and his gang, criminally declared themselves the new leadership of the party, was reviewed.

The council also called on the aggrieved members of the party who dragged issues concerning party matters to court to withdraw their cases in court.

As they are advocating for an internal resolution of the dispute, the chairmen directed those who allegedly violated the provision of the party’s constitution by taking internal matters of the party to court without exhausting all the appropriate instituted channels to resolve disputes to immediately withdraw all court cases.

‘Gbajabiamila Not Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, President-elect To Return Soon’

The Director of Media and Publicity for the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed reports that the president-elect has appointed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his chief of staff.

According to Onanuga, such reports remain speculation until Tinubu confirms it on his return from France.

Onanuga, a former boss of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), revealed that Tinubu would be returning to the country soon.

He told The PUNCH: “I don’t know about that. The president-elect will soon be back in the country. It is nothing new. We know it has been trending in the last couple of days. Of course, it is still in the realm of speculation until the president-elect says otherwise.”

Reports from inside the Tinubu’s camp claim that the president-elect will announce Gbajabiamila as his chief of staff after the May 29 inauguration.

These reports were heightened following the speaker’s absence during the presentation of certificates of return to elected members of the 10th House of Representatives at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Senate Presidency: Shehu Sani Throws Weight Behind Orji Uzor Kalu

As the tussle for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly gets tougher, a former Senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani has thrown his weight behind the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu for the Senate Presidency seat.

Naija News learnt that Sani’s endorsement for Kalu is as a result of his advocacy for the zoning of the position of the senate president seat to be zoned to the South East geopolitical of the country.

According to the former lawmaker, the incumbent structure of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has naturally positioned the South East to produce the next Senate President.

It was gathered from The Sun that Sani remarked that he might not be a member of the ruling APC, at the level of governance, but in the spirit of equity, justice and peace, the APC should consider zoning the senate presidency to the Southeast over any sentiments in the interest of the nation.

He advanced that the South East has senators competent enough to be Senate President if the rules of the Red Chamber were to be considered, particularly ‘ranking’ as has been the norm lately.

‘They Have Been Begging Him’ – Presidency Speaks On Buhari Not Handing Over On May 29

The presidency has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari is already looking at the exit door and nothing can keep him in office beyond the May 29 constitutionally accepted date.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu made this known on Friday evening while speaking with newsmen at the State House mosque.

According to the presidential media aide, Buhari has no interest in tweaking the constitution to stay back in office or create an interim national government.

He however revealed that some persuaders have been urging Buhari to stay back in office by changing the rules or amending the constitution.

But Shehu assured that President Buhari is ready and fully committed to handing over to the next administration by May 29, 2023, and nothing will change the date.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.