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2023: Presidency Should Go To The Southern Nigeria – Gov. El-Rufai

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The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has insisted that the North has no justification to remain in power after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure.

El-Rufai maintained that the Presidency should rightly return to the Southern part of Nigeria.


He said though the constitution of the All Progressives Congress, APC, does not make provision for rotation but in the interest of justice, equity and fair play, Presidency should go to other regions of the country.


He said: “The general political consensus in Nigeria is that the Presidency should rotate between the North and the South. It is not written but everyone understands it.


“In some of the parties, like the PDP, it is even written down in their constitution but it was breached in 2015. I think that every politician of honour should understand and abide by that consensus except there is an extenuating circumstance compelling it to be set aside. What could this be?

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“President Yar’Adua died in office and it was compulsory for Jonathan to continue but when 2011 election came, there were many people who insisted that Jonathan should step aside for a northerner to complete the tenure of Yar’Adua but I opposed it because I didn’t think it was proper for an incumbent that got there not by his own design should be stopped from contesting when the constitution has not barred him from running.

“In the APC, we deliberately omitted rotational Presidency in our constitution and the emergence of a presidential candidate does not take into account zoning and that was why in 2015, Rochas Okorocha from the East contested, Sam Nda-Isaiah contested, Buhari, Kwankwaso and others contested.”


El-Rufai a chieftain of APC, added that presidential candidates are chosen on the basis of merit and general acceptance.


“I can say that as distinct from the PDP, APC has no rotational Presidency but candidates are selected strictly on the basis of political merit and the general acceptability of the candidate.


“I want to say that those of us from Northern Nigeria honour agreements. We do not violate unwritten political agreements and I will be the last person to lead in violating that agreement. I may have a personal view but that should be the basis. I don’t care where you come from but I look for merit.

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“But as a group, the Northern APC will have to sit down and endorse someone, most likely someone from the South, because after eight years of Buhari, I don’t think the Presidency should remain in the north unless there is some extenuating circumstances. But all things being equal, we will honour our agreement and we keep our words,” he said.

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Natasha: SERAP sues Akpabio over failure to reverse suspension

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The raging controversy over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan has attracted yet another legal action following a suit by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio over the failure to reverse her suspension.

It is the contention of SERAP that “the patently unlawful suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is based solely on the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression.”

In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/498/2025, Akpabio is sued for himself and on behalf of all members of the Senate.

The Senate recently suspended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, after she reportedly ‘spoke without permission’ and ‘refused her new seat in the Senate chamber.’

Her salary and allowances have also been withheld for the duration of the suspension, and she has been barred from identifying herself as a senator.

Before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, the group is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to rescind the unlawful suspension of Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, reinstate her, and fully restore all her legislative rights, entitlements, and privileges.”

An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from further suspending or taking any disciplinary action against Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan solely for the peaceful exercise of her fundamental human rights.”

SERAP is equally seeking “a declaration that the application of sections 6(1)(2) of the Senate Rules, the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended), to suspend Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan violates her human rights and deprives her constituents of their right to political participation.”

It noted that given the impracticality of direct participation of all citizens, article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights provides that a citizen shall exercise political power either directly or through freely chosen representatives.”

“The suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate has restricted and seriously undermined the ability of the residents of her Kogi Central Senatorial District to effectively participate in their own government.”

“The Senate has the obligations to uphold the rule of law and the provisions of section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s obligations under article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

“Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] provides that, ‘(1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.’

“Under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: ‘1. Every individual shall have the right to receive information. 2. Every individual shall have the right to express and disseminate his opinions within the law.’”

“Article 19(1) of the Covenant establishes the right to freedom of opinion without interference. Article 19(2) establishes the Senate’s obligations to respect and ensure ‘the right to freedom of expression,’ which includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, either orally or in writing.”

“The Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) should not and cannot set aside Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to express herself and disseminate her opinions which is clearly guaranteed in section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and under the human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

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Amnesty condemns NYSC for threatening Corper over video criticizing Tinubu

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Amnesty International has condemned the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)’s threats and intimidation of a corps member, Ushie Uguamaye, who criticized Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for inflation and economic hardship.

In a ‘X’ post, the group stated that it is her right as a citizen to express her unhappiness peacefully, while also asking the government to focus on addressing the issues she addressed rather than threatening to delete the video.

“It is perfectly within her right to express discontent peacefully. Instead of threatening her for her opinions on rampant inflation, the authorities should be prioritizing addressing the country’s economic woes,” Amnesty said.

The Lagos-based corps member expressed fear about claimed threats following her viral video criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s government.

In a video posted to her TikTok account #talktoraye on Saturday, Uguamaye voiced displeasure with Nigeria’s deteriorating economic situation, stressing that hard work becomes fruitless in the face of financial difficulties.

She openly lambasted Tinubu, describing him as a “terrible leader” and criticizing the government’s efforts to ameliorate citizens’ suffering.

Shortly after her video gained traction, Uguamaye alleged that she began receiving threats, reportedly from NYSC officials, pressuring her to take down the content.

“Dear Nigerians, they have my address. In case you guys don’t see me online, please you know who to hold accountable. I didn’t do anything wrong; I just asked that they work on the inflation.

“Why can’t I speak up? Being an NYSC corps member doesn’t mean I signed up my right to complain,” she said.

Amnesty, meanwhile, in their post, said millions of Nigerians are facing extreme poverty, which aligns with her post on TikTok, urging the government to find measures to urgently address it.

“Millions of people in Nigeria are facing extreme poverty. So far, the authorities have failed to put in place effective mitigation measures, leaving millions of people without the hope of getting out of the economic challenges and enjoying their human rights,” the group said.

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Damagun denies resignation rumors, calls it fake news

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The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Damagun, has dismissed reports of his resignation, labeling them as false and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

In a statement on Saturday, his Personal Assistant, Nuru Shehu Jos, clarified that Damagun remains in office, and the party’s constitution guarantees the National Chairman a four-year term.

The PDP also denied claims that Arise News was the source of the false resignation report, urging the public to ignore the misinformation.

The party warned those spreading the rumors to desist or face legal action, calling on members and stakeholders to remain united as the PDP strengthens its position ahead of the 2027 elections.

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