WAP REPORTER’S ROUND-UP
On WAP Reporter’s Round-Up, Ezinwanne Onwuka takes a look at news stories that caused quite a stir on the Internet in the last month, which you might have missed.
Jonathan’s Presidential Bid
A group of supporters, on Monday, May 9, paid for expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the party’s 2023 presidential race.
This intensified the speculations that the former president is set to switch from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest for president in 2023 under the platform of APC.
Hours after the news that the group had bought the form for him broke, Jonathan, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, rejected the presidential nomination form, noting that he did not authorise the purchase, describing the move by the group as ‘an insult’.
“Buying a presidential aspiration form in the name Dr Jonathan without his consent, knowing the position he had held in this country, is considered an insult to his person. The general public is therefore advised to disregard it,” part of the statement read.
In rejecting the forms, the former president kept his plans close to his chest. However, some news websites published reports of Jonathan secretly joining the ruling party, and accepting to run on the ticket of the party.
Despite the reports and speculations of the former president contesting, he was not among the 23 presidential hopefuls screened by the ruling party’s Screening Committee on Monday and Tuesday.
Deborah’s Gruesome Murder
Deborah Samuel, a sophomore student was killed and her body set ablaze inside the school premises by a jubilant mob for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad in the early hours of Thursday, May 12.
Following the tragedy, the school authorities, in a statement, announced the indefinite closure of the college, and directed all students to vacate the campus with immediate effect.
Her death caused controversies on the Internet. While Christians frowned at the murder and called for the prosecution of the perpetrators, some Muslims supported the act, arguing that Muslims do not entertain any form of verbal attack on the holy prophet.
Two suspects are in custody in connection with her death. However, some Muslim youths protested against the arrest and demanded for their release; and 34 lawyers, led by a law lecturer at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Professor Mansur Ibrahim, showed up in court to defend the suspects, asking the court to grant them bail on liberal terms on May 16.
Deborah was laid to rest on Saturday, May 14 in her hometown, Tunga Magajiya, in the Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State.
Speaking to newsmen a day after the burial, Deborah’s heartbroken parents disclosed that they have resolved not to send their seven surviving children to school anymore in order not to lose them to the cold hands of death like their late sister.
However, the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM) Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, weighed in with the promise of a better life.
He relocated the entire family to Port Harcourt, and presented a house and car to the family. Moreso, he offered the surviving children scholarships in OPM free schools; promised Deborah’s father a job and a shop for the mother.
Resignation of Ministers Vying for Elective Positions
At the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on May 11, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) seeking elective public office to resign before May 16.
Some of President Buhari’s ministers who had indicated interest in elective positions include transportation minister Rotimi Amaechi who seeks to be president; Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, Kebbi governorship aspirant; Labour minister Chris Ngige; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; and Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; who declared interest in the presidential race.
Others are the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uche Ogar, who is running for the governorship position in Abia State; the Minister of Women Affairs, Paulline Tallen, who declared her ambition to contest for the Plateau South Senatorial seat in Plateau State, as well as Ministers of Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; and Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio who are interested in the presidential seat.
However, the directive excludes the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo because he is an elected member of the cabinet.
President Buhari went ahead to hold a valedictory session for the outgoing ministers on Friday, May 13, where he wished them good luck in their political ambitions and promised to be quick in appointing their replacements.
Following the directive, the following serving ministers bowed out of government to pursue their political ambitions: Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education; Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources; Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
Others are Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology; Uche Ogar, Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development; and Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation.
Three of the cabinet members—Chris Ngige, Pauline Tallen and Abubakar Malami—dropped their ambition so as to remain in the cabinet.
Peter Obi Dumps PDP, Joins Labour Party
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), resigned his membership of the opposition party and withdrew from the presidential race under the umbrella of the party three days before the party’s presidential primaries.
“I am writing to intimate you of my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which was conveyed to the chairman of Agulu Ward 2, Anaocha LGA, Anambra State effective Friday, 20 May 2022. Consequently, I am by this letter informing you of my withdrawal from the PDP presidential primaries,” Obi wrote in his resignation letter dated May 24, 2022, and addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu.
The ex-governor explained that “recent developments within our party make it practically impossible to continue participating and making such constructive contributions” informed his decision.
However, two days after dumping the PDP, he joined the Labour Party (LP).
A party he described as “a route free of rancour and one in line with my mantra of taking the country from consumption to production”, adding that the LP “is synonymous with the people, workers, development, production, securing and uniting the Nigerians as one family.”
At the Labour Party’s convention and presidential primary held in Asaba, Delta State on Monday, LP’s presidential aspirants, Professor Pat Utomi and Joseph Faduri stepped down for Obi, making him clinch the ticket of the party.
