Evening recap: Osimhen makes Super Eagles squad, Kano gov aide claims Kwankwaso-Tinubu alliance, drama trails Lagos APC primary, other headlines

Politics, sports, insecurity and entertainment shaped Tuesday’s top headlines as a Kano government aide accused former governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of indirectly working for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, while drama trailed the Lagos APC primaries with Desmond Elliot withdrawing amid allegations of intimidation.

In sports, Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi headlined Eric Chelle’s squads for the Unity Cup and upcoming international friendlies.

Security concerns also resurfaced in Oyo State after kidnappers abducted two workers of the Cocoa Research Institute, although police later arrested two suspects linked to the incident.

Meanwhile, celebrity barman Cubana Chief Priest claimed President Tinubu does not fully trust him because of his previous support for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 elections.

See the top stories below:

Kwankwaso indirectly working for Tinubu’s re-election — Kano gov aide

Kano Government House’s Director-General of Media and Publicity, Sunusi Tofa, has dropped a political bombshell, alleging that former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is quietly positioning himself as an indirect ally of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Tofa made the startling claim on Wednesday while featuring on the Arise News morning programme, where he weighed in on the shifting political calculations and realignments taking shape across the country ahead of the next election cycle.

According to him, a pattern of political activities and high-level strategic engagements now points to a subtle but deliberate convergence between certain opposition figures and the ruling All Progressives Congress — with Kwankwaso’s movements at the centre of it all, and their ultimate beneficiary being Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Read more: https://punchng.com/kwankwaso-indirectly-working-for-tinubus-re-election-kano-gov-aide/

I’m impressed, Gbajabiamila hails Lagos APC primaries as Elliott claims intimidation

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday described the All Progressives Congress House of Assembly primary election in Surulere Constituency I, Lagos State, as peaceful, fair and orderly, even as the constituency’s incumbent lawmaker, Desmond Elliott, withdrew from the exercise, alleging that his supporters were being intimidated.

Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, spoke with journalists after participating in the primary election at Ward G2 (Adeniran Ogunsanya Ward 5), situated at Alaka Housing Estate, Surulere, Lagos, saying he was impressed by the conduct of party members and the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the exercise.

Elliott’s withdrawal from the primary, however, cast a shadow over the process, with the incumbent lawmaker citing alleged intimidation of his supporters as his reason for stepping aside.

The contrasting accounts of the same exercise — one from the President’s Chief of Staff describing an orderly process, the other from a sitting lawmaker alleging harassment of his supporters — are likely to fuel further controversy over the conduct of the primary and raise questions about internal democracy within the APC in Lagos State.

Read more: https://punchng.com/im-impressed-gbajabiamila-hails-lagos-apc-primaries-as-elliott-claims-intimidation/

FULL LIST: Osimhen, Lookman, Iwobi, Ndidi make Chelle’s squads for Unity Cup, friendlies

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has unveiled separate squads for Nigeria’s upcoming international engagements in June, naming different sets of players for the Unity Cup tournament in London and the friendly matches against Poland and Portugal.

The Super Eagles announced the squads on their official X handle on Wednesday.

For the Unity Cup, Chelle retained a blend of experienced players and fresh faces, including home-based players. Among those retained are captain Wilfred Ndidi, goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, Bruno Onyemaechi, Moses Simon, Akor Adams and Terem Moffi.

Nigeria will open their Unity Cup campaign against Zimbabwe in the semi-final at Charlton Athletic’s The Valley stadium in London on May 26.

Read more: https://punchng.com/full-list-osimhen-lookman-iwobi-ndidi-make-chelles-squads-for-unity-cup-friendlies/

VIDEO: Desmond Elliot withdraws from APC primary, alleges intimidation

Lagos State lawmaker Desmond Elliott has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress primary election for the Surulere 1 constituency in the House of Assembly, alleging that his supporters were systematically intimidated and prevented from accessing the polling venue.

Elliott made the announcement on Wednesday at the Paddington mini stadium on Western Avenue, where the party’s primary was being conducted, saying he had made repeated appeals to electoral officers to grant his supporters entry but was ignored.

“And of course, in all zones, they’ve been intimidating and stopping us. I want to officially announce my withdrawal from this particular race. This is my ward. If you go outside, those are my people outside,” he said.

The withdrawal of the actor-turned-politician from the exercise came on the same day that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who also participated in the primary at Ward G2 in Alaka Housing Estate, Surulere, described the exercise as peaceful, fair and orderly — a characterisation that stands in sharp contrast to Elliott’s account.

Elliott’s exit from the race raises fresh questions about internal democracy within the APC in Lagos State, with the incumbent lawmaker’s allegation of voter suppression and intimidation threatening to cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the primary’s outcome.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from the APC’s electoral committee were not immediately successful as of the time of filing this report.

Read more: https://punchng.com/video-desmond-elliot-withdraws-from-apc-primary-alleges-intimidation/

Kidnappers abduct two cocoa institute workers in Oyo, police arrest two

The Kano Government House’s Director-General of Media and Publicity, Sunusi Tofa, has dropped a political bombshell, alleging that former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is quietly positioning himself as an indirect ally of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Tofa made the startling claim on Wednesday while featuring on the Arise News morning programme, where he weighed in on the shifting political calculations and realignments taking shape across the country ahead of the next election cycle.

According to him, a pattern of political activities and high-level strategic engagements now points to a subtle but deliberate convergence between certain opposition figures and the ruling All Progressives Congress, with Kwankwaso’s movements at the centre of it all, and their ultimate beneficiary being Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

The allegation, if true, would represent one of the most dramatic and unexpected political developments ahead of 2027, given that Kwankwaso ran against Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and remains one of the most prominent opposition voices in the country.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from Kwankwaso or the NNPP were not immediately successful as of the time of filing this report.

Read more: https://punchng.com/kidnappers-abduct-two-cocoa-institute-workers-in-oyo-police-arrest-two/

Tinubu doesn’t fully trust me because I supported Peter Obi — Cubana Chief Priest

Socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu remains wary of him due to his support for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 general elections.

Cubana Chief Priest, who serves as the Imo State Coordinator of the Pro-Tinubu City Boys Movement, made the claim during a livestream with popular content creator Peller, with a video of the conversation circulating widely on Wednesday.

The socialite said the lingering suspicion from the presidency was tied to both his ethnic background as an Igbo man and his previous political alignment against Tinubu in the last presidential election.

“President Bola Tinubu no really trust me as an Igbo man that I am. He look me with one eye because he believes that this one that worked for Peter Obi, before at the last election,” he stated.

The admission is striking given that Cubana Chief Priest now serves in a coordinating role within a pro-Tinubu political movement, suggesting that his switch in political allegiance has not been enough to fully dissolve the suspicion he says exists at the presidential level.

His comments also touch on a broader and more sensitive dimension — the perception among some Igbo political actors and supporters that their ethnic identity continues to colour how they are viewed within the current administration, regardless of their present political positions.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from the presidency were not immediately successful as of the time of filing this report.

Read more: https://punchng.com/tinubu-doesnt-fully-trust-me-because-i-supported-peter-obi-cubana-chief-priest/