The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-South region has urged President Bola Tinubu to recontest in the 2027 presidential election.

The party praised Tinubu for his policies, projects and programs, maintaining that his policies were targeted at repositioning the country.

This was contained in a communiqué jointly signed by the APC South-South Zonal Executives after a meeting in Calabar, Cross Rivers, on Sunday.

The party reaffirmed its unwavering support for the policies and programs of the Tinubu administration in areas of good governance, economic reforms, national security and infrastructural development.

They also praised the president for his commitment to the coastal road project, and the commencement of the construction from both ends of the project.

The committee said it has resolved to set up a reconciliation committee in the South-South region, to be headed by the Coordinator of the South-South geo-political zone, Sen Bassey Otu.

They said that the move is meant to bridge any existing gap, foster collaboration and work towards a common goal of strengthening the party’s presence and influence in the region.

It also resolved to mobilise available party assets towards winning more states; particularly using the forthcoming elections in Edo State as a test case.

Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has overtaken Tyson Fury in the latest WBC heavyweight rankings.

Anthony Joshua has now moved to number one in the WBC heavyweight rankings, while Tyson Fury has dropped from the first spot to the second spot.

The current undisputed heavyweight title holder, Oleksandr Usyk, is ranked the winner of the rankings.

Fury dropped one spot after losing his WBC heavyweight title to Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in May 2024.

While Fury suffered a massive defeat to the Ukrainian boxer, Anthony Joshua recorded successive victories against Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin.

These two victories have qualified Joshua to contest for the vacant IBF title against Daniel Dubois in September.

Agit Kabayel who recently beat Frank Sanchez during one of the under-cards on the Fury vs Usyk bill in May, takes the third spot in the WBC rankings.

Zhilei Zhang who stunned Deontay Wilder with a knockout win earlier this year is the fourth-highest-ranked boxer in the world according to the WBC.

Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Efe Ajagba completes the top five list thanks to the WBC ‘silver’ trinket belt he is currently holding.

Jared Anderson is ranked 6th, Martin Bakole is ranked 7th, Sanchez 8th, Joe Joyce 9th, and Bakhodir Jalolov is ranked 10th in the WBC rankings.

The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, yesterday, insisted that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State lacks the power to crown the new Olubadan of Ibadan land.

He also dismissed insinuations that Governor Makinde deliberately delayed the coronation of a new Olubadan to target him.

Recall that Makinde had announced that he would crown the new Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin when he is medically fit.

Ladoja said this while speaking with journalists at his Ibadan residence during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

The former governor maintained that there is a cordial relationship between him and Governor Makinde.

His words: “I am not the target of Governor Seyi Makinde. He is not delaying the coronation because of me. The governor sent a huge cow and many bags of rice to me for the Sallah. He had called to greet me for the festival.

“It is the people of Ibadan land who will crown the new Olubadan, and the governor’s role is only to present the staff and instrument of office to the new monarch.

“It is the Oluwo of Ibadan land who crowns a new Olubadan and not the governor. 

“The Olubadan will be crowned at lle Ose-Meji, from where he will  go to Mapo for the governor to present him the staff and instrument of office.”

On the health condition of the Olubadan-designate, Ladoja said: “To me, the new Olubadan is fit. He had been on the journey of becoming the Olubadan since 1983. The new Olubadan is fit, but only old.”

Guinness Nigeria Plc has debunked insinuations that it is exiting the Nigerian market following the sale of the majority shareholding by Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverage company.

In a statement, the company which commenced operations in Nigeria in 1950 said it “wishes to correct the recent speculations and false/malicious misinformation alleging a plan to exit from the Nigerian market.”

Recall that last week, Guinness Nigeria entered a deal with Singapore-based Tolaram Group to acquire the 58 percent stake but Diageo will retain ownership of the Guinness brand, which will be licensed to Guinness Nigeria in the long term.

“Contrary to rumours being peddled on various media platforms, Guinness Nigeria remains firmly committed to its operations in Nigeria and is poised for a new phase of growth and innovation.

“Our unwavering commitment to Nigeria is evident in the substantial investments in infrastructure, employment, backward integration and our community development and social responsibility initiatives.

“The recent announcement of the partnership between Diageo and Tolaram Group further reinforces unequivocally that Guinness Nigeria remains committed to Nigeria and has no intention of exiting the dynamic Nigerian market. Our business will continue strongly, and no jobs or factories will be adversely affected as a result of this new partnership.”

The sacrifical ram of the Chief Imam of the Mista Ali community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, Imam Abdulkadir, has been stolen.

The ram was stolen during a heavy downpour in the area on the eve of the Ed-el-Kabir.

An Imam in the community, Malam Haruna Yaqub, who disclosed this during the sermon, shortly after the two Raka’at prayers, condemned the incident, describing it as insensitive.

Yaqub urged the people never to engage in either stealing or any act of criminality, emphasizing that everyone will account for their actions in the here and hereafter.

He said, “The Ram of our Chief Imam, which he purposely bought to sacrifice, has stolen in the night. We are really shocked by the incident. We were surprised to hear this story. This means that people are not God fearing. It is scaring that people have gone to the extent of stealing ram meant for religious activity.

“It is high time people repented and took the path of Allah. It is not too late. People should stop committing bad things and act according to Allah’s commandments.”

The apex Igbo socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has alleged that the South-east governors, Igbo leaders, and members of the National Assembly were plotting to prolong the detention of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, till 2027.

In a statement issued by Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the body blamed the South-east governors for the deteriorating security situation in the zone

Isiguzoro said, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo decries and brings to light the plots by South-east governors, Igbo elders, and National Assembly members to prolong Nnamdi Kanu’s detention until 2027.

“The failure of some South-east governors to utilise their political ties to advocate for Kanu’s release is regrettable and underscores self-interest over communal welfare.”

The organisation stated that the South-east governors and certain Igbo leaders had not provided the essential assurances required to explore political resolutions for the release of Kanu.

According to Isiguzoro, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo underscores the crucial need for unity and cooperation among South-east governors and esteemed Igbo personalities, such as Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Pa Ebitu Ukiwe, Sen. Ike Nwachukwu, and others, in providing the federal government with assurances regarding Nnamdi Kanu’s future conduct post-release.

“Regrettably, it appears some South-east governors and Igbo elite have chosen to exploit Nnamdi Kanu’s detention for personal gain, political bargaining, and the pursuit of political relevance.”

The body noted that it was disheartening that certain South-east governors and Igbo leaders only visited Kanu at the DSS facility to take photographs rather than actively seeking political solutions for his release.

The statement said, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo expresses deep concern over the behaviour of South-east governors, senators, representatives, religious leaders, traditional rulers, and other prominent Igbo figures who prioritise visits to Kanu in detention over seeking his release and addressing the pressing security challenges in our region.

“It is paramount for Ndigbo to hold South-east governors, Igbo elders, National Assembly members, and traditional rulers accountable for the extended detention of Nnamdi Kanu, and refrain from laying blame on the federal government or President Tinubu.

“The federal government awaits a united stance and commitments from the Igbo community to facilitate a potential release of Nnamdi Kanu.”

Isiguzoro urged all stakeholders in the South-east to set aside personal ambitions and unite in the pursuit of Kanu’s release and the resolution of security challenges in our region.

Popular Nigerian singer, Adekunle Gold has spoken about how he was dragged online after he opened up on his struggles with sickle cell disease.

The ‘Ogaranya’ crooner disclosed that he was “attacked and abused” on social media following his revelation.

Speaking in a recent interview with CNN, Adekunle Gold said he decided to create awareness about sickle cell disease after summoning the courage to speak up.

The singer said he is on a mission to make people living with sickle cell feel “safe.”

He said, “I want people living with sickle cell to feel safe, to feel like they have help and support.

“They call you a sickler… Recently, when I talked about it [my struggle with sickle cell] on the song [‘5-star’], I saw a lot of tweets from people attacking and abusing me.

“I’m speaking about sickle cell disease now because I just got the courage to come out and speak up openly about it. A lot of people can’t share their stories like I can.”

Adekunle Gold said he has been aware of his diagnosis since he was a child, adding that growing up, he constantly put himself in situations that made him sick.

“I’ve known about my sickle cell disease all my life. I knew since I was a child that I couldn’t do certain things. They said, ‘You know you have sickle cell, you can’t play football in the rain just like your peers.’ And I was like, ‘No, I want to play.’ I’ve always been rebellious,” he recalled.

“I’ve known about my sickle cell disease all my life because growing up, I had crises every time. I was in the hospital back-to-back.

“As a child, I constantly put myself in situations that made me sick. And it affected me a lot. For example, I’m not supposed to be in the rain, so what happened to me was that I would have pains in my joints from being in the rain. But I always knew that I didn’t want this thing [sickle cell] to define me.”