Today’s Headlines:Tinubu is my friend but I Don’t like his politics–Duke;Obasanjo Mourns Dele Cole

Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Donald Duke, has said his personal friendship with President Bola Tinubu remains intact despite his disagreement with the direction of the current administration.

Duke said his political differences with Tinubu should not be mistaken for personal animosity, noting that their relationship predates Tinubu’s presidency.

He spoke on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, monitored by DAILY POST in Abeokuta.

“President Tinubu is my friend since 1998, but I don’t like the direction he’s going. I think we will not achieve much going in this direction. But when it comes to personality, we remain friends,” Duke said.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday mourned the death of Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole, who died at the age of 86, describing him as one of Nigeria’s finest intellectuals.

Obasanjo, in a tribute issued in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital and personally signed by him to mourn the deceased, described Ambassador Cole as “a dear friend, brother, and compatriot”, whose counsel shaped pivotal moments in Nigeria’s history.

In the tribute, a copy of which was obtained by LEADERSHIP, former President Obasanjo said Cole’s contributions to the Nigerian polity “remained monumental beyond his advisory role”, stressing that the deceased revolutionised African journalism during the period he held sway as the Managing Director of Daily Times, where he introduced “an independent editorial board system that insulated media policy from political interference”.

“It is with a profound sense of personal loss and deep sadness that I write this tribute to honour my dear friend, brother, and compatriot, Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole, who has returned to his Maker at the age of 86. Nigeria has lost one of its finest intellectual pillars, and I have lost a trusted ally whose counsel shaped pivotal moments in our nation’s history.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso, has said the presidential candidate for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Atiku Abubakar cannot rely on Hausa-Fulani support alone to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

This was contained in a statement signed by Dr Kwankwaso on Monday.

According to the statement, Kwankwaso argued that the political situation in northern Nigeria had changed and that Atiku could no longer count on ethnic or regional sentiments to secure voters’ support.

He said Atiku lacked the level of acceptance and political influence enjoyed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari across the North.

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has dismissed a N120million fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai against the Department of the State Services (DSS) and three others. 

The others are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

In a judgment on Monday, Justice Sylvanus Oriji held that the suit lacked merit because none of the respondents violated El-rufai’s rights as he claimed.

Justice Oriji awarded N200,000 as cost to each of the respondents to be paid by El-rufai.

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday took a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, reminding him that the President once provided him with political refuge and a platform to contest the presidency when he fell out with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007.

Shettima, who cautioned the former Vice President and other opposition figures against what he described as dirty politics and malicious attacks on Tinubu, declared that political rivalry should not extinguish longstanding relationships, mutual respect and the basic principles of decency.

Speaking at the City Boy Movement meeting with President Tinubu at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Vice President said the administration remained committed to issue-based political engagement but would not fold its arms while opponents allegedly spread falsehoods against the President.

He also said Tinubu would, in the coming weeks, announce far-reaching interventions to address agricultural challenges and bring down food prices, assuring Nigerians that the economic hardship since the administration’s reforms began would gradually ease.