Good morning Nigeria, welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday, 8th April 2023.
28 Labour Party State Chairmen ‘Overpower’ Police At LP Headquarters
Twenty-eight chairmen of the Labour Party on Friday forced their way into the party’s National Headquarters.
According to Daily Independent, the party chairman forced their way into the secretariat which is located in the Utako district near the federal capital territory office.
The party chairman had a meeting with the embattled National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure in Abuja. 
The platform noted that the delegations were in Abuja to show their support for LP’s executives who have been at the centre of conflicting Court Orders.
Naija News learnt that the chairmen had earlier been prevented entry into the premises by a detachment of policemen allegedly deployed by the FCT Police Command.
Recall that police operatives on Thursday sealed the headquarters of the party due to the leadership crisis rocking the party.
Fascism On Course – Wole Soyinka Fires Peter Obi, ‘Repulsive’ Obidients [Full Text]
The first Black Nobel Laureate in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka, has taken a swipe at supporters of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, popularly called Obidients.
Recall that Peter Obi supporters had come down heavy on the literary icon after he revealed that he told Obi to blame Obidients if he loses the 2023 presidential election.
Naija News reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25th presidential election.
In a lengthy article released on Friday, Soyinka lambasted the LP candidate supporters for refusing to entertain corrective criticism.
He stated that the word ‘Obidients’ is one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions he has ever encountered in any political arena.
Why Datti-Ahmed Wasn’t Arrested Over Recent Comment – Ex-DSS Director, Ejiofor
A former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor has revealed why the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed has not been arrested over his recent comment.
According to Ejiofor, Baba-Ahmed was not arrested because the secret police does not have any concrete evidence to invite him.
Datti in an interview on Channel TV had said the swearing-in of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu on May 29 may be the end of democracy in Nigeria.
The statement of the vice presidential candidate of the LP generated controversy across Nigeria with some supporters of Tinubu calling for his arrest.
Ejiofor, speaking on Arise TV on Friday, said, “For the vice president of the labour party, I listened to his interview, and since it has gone viral, he made a personal statement which he is entitled to. But if he goes ahead, I believe that the SSS, if they have any evidence of pursuing that to its logical conclusion, action will be taken because nobody is above the law.
“In fact, this morning, as I was going through my WhatsApp messages, I also saw a similar thing attributed to the former vice-president in 2015, it was in Channels Television, Seun Okinbaloye when he was asking a similar question when they said that they would form a parallel government then the government did not do anything.”
Gunmen Kidnap Former Deputy Governor In Nasarawa
Unknown gunmen have reportedly kidnapped a former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Professor Onje Gye-Wado.
Reports reaching Naija News confirmed that the gunmen abducted the politician from his residence in Gwagi village of Wamba Local Government Area of the state on Friday morning.
Confirming the development in a press release, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, said the assailants forcefully broke into Gye-Wado’s residence this morning.
Nansel noted that the command operatives in collaboration with other security personnel have since launched a search to rescue the victim unhurt.
NNPP Appoints Abba Kawu-Ali As Acting Chairman
The National Working Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has approved the appointment of Abba Kawu-Ali as the acting National Chairman of the party.
Naija News reports that until his new appointment, Kawu-Ali was the National Vice Chairman (North-East) of the NNPP.
Present at the meeting of the party’s NWC on Thursday were the National Leader and presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso; the vice-presidential candidate, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Chief Boniface Aniebonam, the Secretary of the BoT, Buba Galadima, and other members of the NWC.
The appointment of Kawu-Ali followed the resignation of Professor Rufai Alkali as the party’s national chairman last week.
Alkali had in a resignation letter to the National Secretary of the party said his decision to resign was because there is the need to have on board fresh hands to reposition the party in preparation for greater responsibilities.
Tinubu vs Peter Obi: What Chimamanda Adichie Told US President About 2023 Election [Full Text]
Popular novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, has urged United States President, Joe Biden, not to recognise the outcome of the February 25th presidential election.
Naija News reports that the literary icon made this known in an open letter released on Thursday.
Adichie stated that the presidential election was imperiled not by technical shortcomings but by deliberate manipulation.
Read the full letter below:
Dear President Biden,
“Something remarkable happened on the morning of February 25, the day of the Nigerian presidential election. Many Nigerians went out to vote holding in their hearts a new sense of trust. Cautious trust, but still trust. Since the end of military rule in 1999, Nigerians have had little confidence in elections. To vote in a presidential election was to brace yourself for the inevitable aftermath: fraud.
“Elections would be rigged because elections were always rigged; the question was how badly. Sometimes voting felt like an inconsequential gesture as predetermined “winners” were announced.”
Obidients: Soyinka Challenges Datti Baba-Ahmed To A Live TV Debate
Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has challenged the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed to a debate over his stand on the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
Soyinka who has openly disagreed with the position of Baba-Ahmed also questioned the attitude of the Labour Party supporters popularly referred to as obidients.
The Professor criticised obidients, submitting that even before the election he had warned Peter Obi that his followers may cost him the polls which eventually happened.
He also said recent comments by Baba-Ahmed on the outcome of the election were unbecoming.
Soyinka however disagreed with the fine slammed on Channels TV by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for some of his statements during an interview with the station, saying the anchor tried his best to be objective during the interview.
He then went ahead to challenge the Labour Party vice presidential candidate to a one-on-one debate on the matter.
36 LP State Chairmen Pass Vote Of Confidence On National Chairman, Abure
The thirty-six state chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) have passed a vote of confidence on the national chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
The Chairmen who met in Benin, Edo State claimed that some elements who have left the party are behind the crisis within the party.
The Kwara State LP Chairman, Rotimi Kehinde noted that the people behind the alleged suspension of Abure have no right to suspend him from the party.
He further stated that Abure brought the party into the limelight and based on that he has their full support.
Tinubu: Atiku’s Camp Revives Hope For Presidential Runoff Before May 29
Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign organization has expressed hope for a presidential election runoff despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the February 25th election.
Barring last minutes decisions, Tinubu will be sworn in on May 29, 2023, Naija News reports. However, the presidential spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Daniel Bwala, noted in a series of posts on his Twitter page on Friday morning that if the Presidential Election Tribunal can uphold that 25% votes in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is sacrosanct, then there is hope for a rerun.
Bwala said it becomes necessary that section 134 of the constitution is well interpreted before May 29, swearing-in for the interest of the public.
‘Lagos Election Was War On Lagosians’ – Rhodes-Vivour
The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has described last month’s gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections as a war on Lagosians.
Naija News recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the Lagos gubernatorial election.
Sanwo-Olu scored a total of 762,134 to defeat his rival, Rhodes-Vivour, who polled 312,329 votes, while Abdulazeez Adeniran of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, got 62,449 votes.
Speaking on Arise Television’s morning show on Friday, the LP candidate said what happened during the election was war.
He stated that Yoruba people in the Ikoyi area of the state were beaten by thugs and hooligans that invaded their place.
Rhodes-Vivour added that it is important for INEC to address the issues that occurred during the election for future purposes.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
The post Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday, 8th April, 2023 appeared first on Naija News.
