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2023: How Obasanjo Dropped Non-partisan Elder Statesman Status

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo appears to have dropped his status as a non-partisan elder statesman to begin campaigns for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

The former president had until now said he had turned an elder statesman who should now be seen as a father and mentor to all, regardless of their political affiliations.

Truly, Obasanjo, at his Penthouse residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, has played host to almost all the prominent presidential candidates in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Subsidy: Nigerians Indict NNPC, Accuse Successive Govts Of Complicity

Recall that scores of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu supporters rolled out the drums when he visited Obasanjo in August. In what many thought would be an end to the rivalry between the two political leaders, they were seen in photographs as they entered a private room for personal discussions.

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After the visit, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, was quoted to have said Obasanjo had assured Tinubu of victory. It was also in the news that the former President described Tinubu as a super politician.

But, in a swift reaction, Obasanjo denied endorsing Tinubu or making a statement hyping him as a super politician.

He said: “Those claiming to be insiders at the meeting issuing statements on the discussion and those crediting to me statements I had not made are enemies of the visitor and are not doing the visit any good.”

While saying his meeting with Tinubu was “more brotherly than political,” Obasanjo added that, at the request of Tinubu, he “agreed to no statement from either side.”

Last year, the Balogun Owu also hosted his former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and others. As all meetings were held behind closed-doors, no one was privy to whatever transpired between the Ogun-born farmer and his guests. It is not clear whether or not Obasanjo had declared to Atiku, Tinubu and others that he would ignore them for Peter Obi.

It would be recalled that in the buildup to the 2015 elections, Obasanjo tore his membership card of the PDP to announce that he would no longer participate in politics, but would remain a statesman.

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However, Obasanjo at the time, endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari as his preferred candidate for the 2015 election. He hosted Buhari and other leaders of the APC in his residence, while he also went to some markets in Abeokuta to subtly campaign for Buhari, abandoning the then President Goodluck Jonathan of his party.

The relationship between Obasanjo and Buhari hit the rock in less than two years of his first term in office. Obasanjo could not hide his displeasure about the Buhari administration and he resorted to letter writing. In different open letters, Obasanjo called out the Buhari administration and withdrew his support.

In an attempt to remove Buhari, the octogenarian, in 2019, threw his weight behind Atiku of the PDP, but his support for Atiku was not enough to unseat Buhari.

As the 2023 presidential election approaches, the non-partisan elder statesman has taken the lead in promoting Obi. Obasanjo seems to be leaving no stone unturned in ensuring Peter Obi becomes Buhari’s successor.

At first, Obasanjo was seen during the 2022 Ibogun Day distributing Peter Obi souvenirs to the people. After this, the Balogun Owu came out clear in an open letter, in which he said the former Anambra State governor had an edge over the likes of Atiku and Tinubu.

He was blunt about his disapproval of Tinubu’s ‘emilokan’ ambition, urging Nigerian youths not to be gullible this time around or they would have themselves to blame.

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The latest letter by Obasanjo raised a lot of dust and it almost heated up the polity as many criticised the former Nigerian leader; probably they have forgotten that he has the right to endorse whoever he likes.

It is left to be seen where the non-partisan elder statesman’s endorsement will take Obi and his Labour Party.
DAILY POST

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INEC To Publish Edo Gov Candidates’ Credentials Saturday

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Ahead of the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said it would publish the particulars of 17 governorship candidates and their running mates on March 30, 2024.

The personal particulars of the candidates would be published by displaying copies of Form EC9 along with all academic credentials and other documents submitted by each candidate at the state headquarters and the 18 local government offices across Edo State.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this on Wednesday.

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Olumekun said, “Following the conclusion of party primaries, 17 political parties have uploaded their candidates’ nomination forms for the Edo State Governorship Election by the deadline of 6 pm on 24th March 2024 when the dedicated portal automatically shut down.

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“The personal particulars of the governorship candidates and their running mates will be published on Saturday 30th March 2024, a week from the last date for the submission of nominations as provided in Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The commission shall publish the personal particulars by displaying copies of Form EC9 along with all academic credentials and other documents submitted by each candidate at the state headquarters and the 18 local government offices across Edo State.”

READ ALSO: Man Slumps, Dies During Fight In Kwara

The commission appealed to Nigerians to scrutinise the document (particulars of the candidates) when published.

“We appeal to Nigerians to scrutinise the documents. Any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022,” the National Commissioner said.

The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, had last week expressed the frustration of the electoral body over the rancorous primary elections in various political parties ahead of the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State.

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Yakubu, who spoke in Abuja at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties, said INEC found the infighting within political parties disruptive of its activities, adding that INEC also wastes funds to defend litigation arising from controversial primaries.

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Commission Probes 400 Cases Of Privacy Breach In Online Loan Apps

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The Nigeria Data Protection Commission has said it is investigating over 400 cases of privacy breaches involving online loan apps.

Cases of data privacy breaches have become prevalent in recent times due to the proliferation of digital lending platforms.

The commission made this known in its 2023 Annual Report made available to The PUNCH on Thursday.

It noted that its ongoing investigations have revealed that “loan apps are overly intrusive.”

NDPC is also seeking a ban or restriction on mobile numbers found to have been used by lenders to breach the privacy of their customers.

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“They generally violate the principles of Data Protection and Privacy because they have access to contacts, pictures, messages, etc. of data subjects,” the commission stated.

This indicated that despite an April 2023 policy introduced by Google banning loan apps from accessing photos and contacts of users, the practice has continued.

Acknowledging that privacy breaches by loan apps are a systemic problem, the commission said it is also adopting a systemic solution by working with other regulators and third-party platforms being used by the lenders.

A user of a loan app, Haruna Michael, who spoke to The PUNCH on Thursday, said that one of the digital lenders used his photos and tagged him as a fleeing criminal because he defaulted in paying the loan he received within the stipulated time.

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He said his contacts were reached and he was reported as a fraudster.

“Over 400 cases of privacy breaches involving shadowy loan sharks are being addressed at the systemic level.

“The commission has now drafted the Nigeria Data Protection Act-General Application and Implementation Directive which addresses the abetment of data breaches, the need for data ethics and privacy by design and by default among others.

“Under abetment, the third-party platforms through which data privacy breaches take place will now be required to deny access to those who use their platforms for privacy breaches.

READ ALSO: Man Slumps, Dies During Fight In Kwara

“Organisations, particularly communication networks should be willing to restrict or ban telephone lines that are implicated in privacy violations,” the commission said.

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The NDPC added that it is also collaborating with regulators under the Joint Enforcement and Regulatory Taskforce to sanitise the digital lending space.

It noted that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission now requires lending companies to obtain data protection clearance from NDPC before operation.

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JUST IN: Military Yields To Pressure, Frees Abducted Lagos Editor

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Military authorities, on Thursday, yielded to pressure and released the Editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, who was abducted from his home in Lagos State on Friday, March 15, 2024.

The PUNCH can confirm that he was released to some media stakeholders, including Yomi Odunuga of The Nation newspaper and Iyobosa Uwugiaren of Thisday Newspaper in Abuja on Thursday after sustained pressure from the media.

They were asked to guarantee that they would make Olatunji available if needed again.

READ ALSO: Alleged Defamation: Foremost Edo-based Human Rights Activist Granted Bail

The International Press Institute, the Nigeria Guild of Editors, and Olatunji’s employers had in separate statements, faulted his incarceration, asking authorities to either release the editor or charge him to court.

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Recall that Olatunji, a former Kaduna State correspondent of The PUNCH, was abducted by men in military uniform from his home in the Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos State.

The IPI, on Wednesday, said it traced Olatunji to the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency.

The DIA is an agency under the command of Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, who reports to the Chief of Defence Staff.

The PUNCH learnt that media stakeholders will address journalists by 11am in Abuja on the development.

 

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