Wike, Ikpeazu Will Support Tinubu In Presidential Election, Says Orji Kalu

A photo combination of Orji Kalu, Nyesom Wike, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Bola Tinubu

 The Senate Chief Whip, Orji Kalu, has said some aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors that make up the G5 or Integrity Group will support the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, in Saturday’s election.

Specifically, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his counterpart of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu, will throw their weight behind the former Lagos governor, Kalu said during a live appearance on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict on Monday.

The G5, which includes Wike, Ikpeazu and three other state governors, have taken a stand to abstain from supporting the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

According to him, the general public need not be concerned about the internal wranglings in the APC over the naira swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

 

“Tinubu is well liked by the North and is from the South-West and is going to get a [sizable] vote in Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra and Enugu. And he’s going to have the support of Governor Wike of Rivers State, so we’re on track,” he said.

“My governor here, Okezie Ikepazu, will also support Tinubu. My senatorial district is going to give Tinubu the vote. The puncher to give the 34, 35 percent to be on the ballot.”

Promising that Tinubu would be “a man of tomorrow”, the former Abia governor added that “the G5 governors are also going to be a very big factor”.

The senator representing Abia North predicted that the South-East would vote for the APC presidential candidate because, according to him, the voters know his presidency will serve as a stepping stone a free market.

In his view, there is no cause for concern over the party’s internal crisis as he encouraged the members of the electorate to vote according to their conscious.

Describing Tinubu as a good administrator, he said the candidate could “delegate the job”.

“He’s a relief to the headquarters of the entrepreneurs where I live in Lagos,” he said. “All the presidential candidates live in Lagos; we all live there and we’re businessmen there, and Tinubu lived in the middle of the entrepreneurs of Nigeria.”

Kalu promised that his APC presidential candidate would ensure the formulation of a partnership between the private sector and the government, “which is very much not seen today”.

The 21 or 22 governors of APC are ready to support Tinubu; they brought him in at the convention. There was a ballot; Tinubu didn’t come from the back of the yard to be the presidential candidate of the APC.

copied from channels tv... credit video

 

 

 

 

1.8bn Litres Of Fuel Available For Feb, March — NNPC

 

A file photo of a nozzle pump.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has put in place a “robust” plan for the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from mid-February to March.

The company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad, in a statement on Monday, noted that the plan is part of its concerted efforts to sustain the supply of petroleum products nationwide.

“Latest updates released on Monday show that NNPC Limited has a total of 1.805 billion litres of PMS stock, representing 805.35 million litres in all the land depots nationwide and 1,000.20 million litres on marine vessels, which is equivalent to 30.09 days sufficiency,” the statement reads in part.

“An additional PMS supply of 884 Million Liters is also expected into the country by 28th February, 2023.

“For March 2023, a total of 2.3 billion litres of PMS is expected into the country, while about 2.5billion litres, which is equivalent to 42 days sufficiency, will be the closing stock for the month under review.”

NNPC assured motorists that it has adequate and sufficient volumes on all land depots as well as marine vessels.

The company added that, as the provider of energy security for the country, it would continue to sustain availability of petroleum products across the country.

Apologies And Resolutions

Earlier this month, the Group CEO, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, apologised to Nigerians for the months of pains caused by the persistent nationwide fuel scarcity, assuring the public that the “glitch” would be resolved.

 

 

Asked to specify when Nigerians will begin to see a turnaround, Kyari expressed a strong belief that the relief will be be felt “within the next one week.”

“I’m not saying that you’re going to have zero queues within the next one week,” he added. “No, I can’t guarantee that because a number of things are out of our control.”

The NNPC boss explained that market forces will determine how quickly the situation is resolved, but in his view, the country is going to see substantial and relative ease in the next one week compared to the situation at present.

 

2023 Elections: Pastor Enenche Shares Photo With Obi, Says This Is ‘The Way To Go’

 

Pastor Paul Enenche has shared a photo of himself, Bishop David Oyedepo, and Peter Obi in what appears to be an endorsement of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, saying “the way to go”.

“A picture they say is worth a thousand words. This picture was randomly taken by a photographer some time ago but is speaking volumes right now, especially in this season,” the Founder and Senior Pastor of the Dunamis Gospel Centre wrote on his Facebook page Monday evening.

“What do you see? What can you hear? Are you in doubt about the way to go? The way of integrity, authenticity, honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, capacity, productivity; here is the way to go.”

 

The move comes in the wake of Obi’s backing by a cleric Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministries.

Obi, 61, has emerged as the first third-party candidate to challenge the dominance of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which between them have governed since the end of military rule in 1999.

Nearly 100 million will vote on February 25 in Africa’s most populous nation to choose the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who steps down after two terms with Nigeria struggling with widespread insecurity and economic malaise.

A former southeast Anambra state governor, Obi has captured the interest of many young voters with a campaign offering hope for change from the patronage politics and old-guard candidates fielded by the mainstream parties.

Some polls show Obi leading, but analysts say the wealthy businessmen faces a challenge to win over enough voters in the mostly Muslim north, a key block of ballots that helps determine Nigeria’s election.

To win the presidency, candidates must garner the most ballots and also 25 percent of the votes in two-thirds of the country’s states.

Nigeria is almost equally split between the mostly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south with three main ethnic groups, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, and hundreds of local languages across the country.

Election campaigns in the past often featured candidates appealing to their ethnic base to win over voters.

 

 

 

Presidential Directive On N200 Notes Stands, CBN Insists

 The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on the N200 notes still stands.

Buhari in his nationwide broadcast on February 16 directed the apex bank to only reissue and re-circulate the old N200 banknotes. The old N200 is expected to circulate as legal tender for 60 days up to April 10.

In a statement, the CBN dismissed some media reports that the President approved the reissuance and release of the old N500 and N1000 notes as legal tender in the country.

It described the reports as fake news, pledging to work with security agencies to unravel the perpetrators of the misleading reports.

“ The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to a FAKE PRESS RELEASE Purported to have emanated from the Bank to the effect that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reissuance and release of old N500 and N1000 notes as legal tender in the country,” the statement read.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Central Bank of Nigeria reiterates that in line with the directives of Mr. President, only N200 old notes are to be reissued and to circulate concurrently with the new notes. Members of the public are therefore advised to ignore this fake news.

“The Bank is working with the law enforcement agencies to investigate, apprehend and prosecute the purveyors of this fake news.   Please be guided accordingly.”

 

I Won’t Lose Faith In My Methods, Says Chelsea Boss Graham Potter

 

Chelsea’s English head coach Graham Potter gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge in London on February 18, 2023. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
Chelsea manager, Graham Potter, has said he will not budge on his tactics and philosophy as this is what has gotten him to this stage in his coaching career.

The London club fell to a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge courtesy of Southampton’s captain, James Ward-Prowse classic.

This will be the first loss for Chelsea after three consecutive draws and a victory in five matches which sees them occupy an unusual 10th position in the Premier League log.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Potter dismissed any form of trepidation when asked if he was losing faith in his choice of tactics during the game

‘No, I do not lose belief or faith in his methods. I know it is football and sometimes this happens,’ Potter said after the match,” Potter said after the match.

The 47-year-old has managed two wins in his last 14 games, in spite of this the former Brighton boss believes these results are part of the game and his qualities will soon yield fruits

‘I know my qualities. I know what I have done in my career, and I understand when results do not go your way you are open to criticism, and that is fair.”

‘This is the world we’re in. There is a transition and factors [to our results], but at the same time it is a motion, and the team is losing so you can understand. I am not stupid or naive, my job is to keep going and help the team through this tough period.

 

‘You can only be yourself and try your best. I get it, when you’re losing there is always something that you can do or change. I have always been this way [calm on the touchline] and it has got me to this point. At the same time, I can understand if people want something different.’

Bemoaning his injury-hit squad Potter added, “We are managing quite an unprecedented injury list, so you have to manage that also in the Premier League. All these things are true but unfortunately, when you lose, it is not what people want to hear.’

Not Good Enough

Similarly, English defender Ben Chilwell believes the team was not good enough in their  match against the Saints and they need to work hard to achieve the desired results

‘Again, not good enough. I can stand here and say we created chances as I said in Dortmund, but it doesn’t really mean anything. We need to win these games,’ he said.

‘It is easy to say, but we really do have to work hard and turn this around, and the only people that can do that are ourselves” he said.

‘It is never nice for a very competitive group that wants to win stuff. Some of us a few years ago tasted winning a major trophy and then to be in this situation now, does not feel good at all.

‘It is understandable that the fans are not happy. They expect Chelsea to win matches which we also expect.’