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Nnamdi Kanu: MASSOB leader dissociates self from IPOB, Dokubo’s face-off
The head of Biafra Independence Movement and Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has disassociated himself from the conflict between the Indigenous people of Biafra and Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, the former head of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, on Friday.
According to a statement made on his behalf by Mazi Chris Mocha, his Director of Information and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Uwazuruike is only concerned with how IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, can be freed from the Department of State Services prison, not what Asari Dokubo said on social media.
Uwazuruike said those accusing him of conniving with Dokubo should go and verify from Dokubo if both of them had spoken as friends for the past three years.
He recalled how he visited Dokubo in 2002 in Port-Harcourt when the former militant leader told him that the issue of Biafra was not one to be achieved through non-violence, stressing that violence was the only language that the Federal Government understood.
He said, “I do not even have Asari Dokubo’s phone number, let alone talking with him on the phone. It has gotten to about three years now since we last talked, either on the phone or in a friendly conversation.
“If you had a problem with Asari Dokubo, you should better clarify that with him and not drag Ralph Uwazuruike into the matter.
“I am a non-violent crusader, known all over the world and everyone should fight his own battles, carry the cross and not call me to do that for you.
“So Asari had never worked with me on the path of non-violence struggles, and when he was championing the cause for Niger Delta people, he took up arms and ammunition against the Federal Government, which everyone could testify to.”
Uwazuruike described Dokubo as a man who matches his words with action and urged those who are insulting him on social media platforms to go and face him squarely.
He added that Dokubo’s comments asking the Federal Government not to release Nnamdi Kanu were his personal opinion, as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as amended.
He noted that his opinion cannot override those of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and South-East Governors Forum, among others, that have been demanding his release.
Uwazuruike said he is only preoccupied with the process that will lead to the release of the leader of IPOB from DSS custody, not talking about irrelevant matters about who said what and who said the other.
He urged the Federal Government to release Kanu because it is against the rule of law that one should be held incommunicado for this long in a DSS facility, even after several courts of competent jurisdiction had ordered his immediate release.
News
El-Rufai speaks on Abuja airport arrest attempts by security operatives
El -Rufai wrote.“Our country must outgrow executive overreach particularly involving opposition figures and former public office holders, and deliberate disregard for the rule of law
A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has condemned what he described as an illegal attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai made this known in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, where he accused authorities of executive overreach and disregard for the rule of law.
“My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” El-Rufai wrote.“Our country must outgrow executive overreach particularly involving opposition figures and former public office holders, and deliberate disregard for the rule of law,” he added.
News
INEC needs N873bn for 2027 elections, says Amupitan
The 2027 election budget is structured into five major components: N379.748 billion for operational expenses, N92.317 billion for administrative costs, N209.206 billion for technology, N154.905 billion for capital expenditure, and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous items.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan has estimated a total of N873.778 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, while requesting N171 billion for its 2026 operational budget.
Amupitan made the projection on Thursday when he presented the Commission’s budget proposals before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.
He clarified that the nearly N874 billion earmarked for 2027 polls is separate from the 2026 budget, which covers routine operations, by-elections, and off-cycle polls.
The 2027 election budget is structured into five major components: N379.748 billion for operational expenses, N92.317 billion for administrative costs, N209.206 billion for technology, N154.905 billion for capital expenditure, and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous items.
The projection does not include a pending request by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for an upward review of allowances for corps members deployed as ad-hoc election staff.
News
El-Rufai resists arrest by security agents at Abuja Airport
Regarding today’s incident, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media aide, confirmed that ” As he arrived at the airport, security agents approached him, but Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They, however, snatched his international passport from an aide.”
Security agents today at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt
Ohibaba.com reported the previous day that El-Rufai, in an interview with BBC Hausa, said he could be arrested in Nigeria at any time.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of pressuring politicians to either align with the party or face political consequences.
El-Rufai also claimed that some of his associates had already been detained. “Four people we worked with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said
Regarding today’s incident, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media aide, confirmed that ” As he arrived at the airport, security agents approached him, but Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They, however, snatched his international passport from an aide.”
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