Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will implement the Supreme Court’s judgement to the fullest. 

The governor gave the assurance during the inauguration of the New Judges Quarters built by his administration in the Old GRA, Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Fubara insisted that no personal interest should override the collective good and peace of Rivers State, saying that no price would be too much company for peace.

Details later…

Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The development lays to rest months of speculation regarding el-Rufai’s immediate political plans.

The former minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) has paid visits to political party chieftains, including Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday.

In January, el-Rufai met with Hamza Al-Mustapha, ex-aide to late Sani Abacha; Shehu Gabam, national chairman of the SDP; and other politicians in the nation’s capital.

Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar campaign organisation, said the meeting was to strategise ahead of the 2027 elections.

In February, el-Rufai said the distance between himself and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had “widened”.

He also criticised the party for not holding meetings regularly, adding that the leadership is running the APC like a “one-man show”.

El-Rufai has been critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration since the senate declined to confirm him as minister. 

In February, el-Rufai said Nigerians should not believe the narrative that the national assembly rejected him as a ministerial nominee, noting that Tinubu did not want him in his cabinet.

“The president publicly appealed to me to put my plans on hold, and through two months of negotiation, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister,” he said.

“Please don’t believe the story that the national assembly rejected me. The president did not want me in his cabinet. He changed his mind.”

El-Rufai was governor of Kaduna from 2015 to 2023.

More to follow…

A former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, has claimed that the beauty of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan poses a problem for her in politics, stating that men find it difficult to ignore her presence.

Speaking on Arise News on Monday, Ogunlewe remarked that female senators do not consider themselves inferior to men and often assert themselves in political discussions.

However, he suggested that Senator Natasha’s physical appearance sets her apart in a way that affects how men react to her.

“The female senators did not look at themselves as if they were inferior to men. They were even up to the task. If you even mention that Itadewa is a woman, the response you are going to get will make you ashamed of yourself because they will stand up to you,” he said.

Referring specifically to Akpoti-Uduaghan, he added, “But the beauty of Distinguished Senator Natasha is a problem to her.

When asked, “How can beauty be a problem?”

He said, “You know, men—when somebody who is pretty passes by you, your attitude will change. You can smile, you can wink, but you may not talk to her. But her beauty is a problem, there’s no doubt about that.”

When pressed further on how beauty could be an issue, Ogunlewe responded, “To men, when she’s passing, there’s no way a man will not look at that woman.”

He defended his stance by stating that it is natural for men to notice attractive women, adding, “It is a natural thing for a man to look at beautiful women. How can you be a man, and a beautiful woman is passing, and you close your eyes?”

Despite being questioned on whether his views were misogynistic, Ogunlewe insisted that his observations were based on natural human tendencies.

“It may be, you might term it that way, but it is inbuilt,” he said.