Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate, Mr Peter will on Wednesday storm Osogbo, Osun state capital to rally support for the party’s governorship candidate for the July 16 election in the state, Hon. Lasun Yusuf. Speaking with Vanguard on Monday, Lasun Media aide, Oyewole Oladimeji said the party is expecting Obi to head the final campaign schedule to hold on Wednesday in the state capital. “Ofcourse he will be in Osogbo for the mega rally and he is expected to come with other party dignities to drum support for the party ahead of Saturday Governorship election”, he said. Meanwhile the party’s Hon. Yusuf escaped assassination attempt early hours of Monday as gunmen were said to have invaded his country home in Ilobu Irepodun local government areas of the state. Information on the attack still remains cloudy as at the time of filing in this report but sources hinted that, the gunmen stormed his residence around 2.00 a.m of the day but were vehemently resisted by his security guards.

  The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Lasun, says a group of gun-wielding men have attacked his residence in Osun State. Lasun who is a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives confirmed the attack while briefing reporters on Monday, hours after the incident was reported to have taken place. The building is located in Oke Ima area of Ilobu, the hometown of the governorship candidate Irepodun Local Government Area of the state. Narrating how the incident occurred, he explained that the assailants invaded his house very early in the morning and began to shoot sporadically. The governorship candidate believes the attacked who stormed his residence at about 2am came with the intention of harming him. According to him, a team of police operatives has been drafted to his house and has since inspected the scene and taken custody of evidence. Before the interview with reporters, the former deputy speaker had taken to his Twitter handle to raise an alarm over the attack. Just in: gun men in uniforms are presently in my residence shooting sporadically… — Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff Suleiman (@LasunRt) July 11, 2022   Loose Politicians The incident occurred barely a day after Lasun appeared as a debater on the Osun Governorship Debate 2022 organised by Channels Television in partnership with Situation Room. While fielding a question during the debate, he distanced himself from electoral violence and faulted political officeholders who encourage such action. “Loose politicians perpetrate violence before, during, and after elections because their private lives are not well defined. A human being is defined by public appearance and your private life; if you have a solid life, if you go to an election and you fail, you cannot cause violence,” the governorship candidate had said. Other debaters include incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for another four-year term and Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party and Oyegoke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) also took their stand on the stage.

  A political support group under the aegis of National Unity Movement for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, urged Nigerians to look beyond the selection of former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate to the APC presidential candidate, maintaining that Tinubu would not Islamise the nation. The group argued that Tinubu had a track record as a detribalised Nigerian and would not even conceive a devious plan to Islamise the country as feared in some quarters. Tinubu had, on Sunday, after a closed-door meeting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in Daura, Katsina State, confirmed Shettima as his running mate, a decision that had continued to elicit reactions from different stakeholders across the country. In a statement issued on Monday, the Director General of the group, Bamidele Faparusi, called on Nigerians to embrace national unity in diversity, national integration and cohesion despite their differences. Faparusi’s appeal was a reaction to a statement by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Segun Showunmi, who faulted the decision of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate to settle for a fellow Muslim candidate. Faparusi described Tinubu as a “detribalised Nigerian, a great patriot, a great bridge builder and unifier, a religious tolerant man, and a believer in one God, one humanity,” adding that the ex-governor of Lagos appointed non-Lagos indigenes into his cabinet, a gesture that had proven he was the man Nigerians could trust. “Even with a Muslim-Muslim ticket, without having any fear of religious domination and suppression, we are conscious of the secularity status of Nigeria, and Tinubu is best positioned to protect our secular state,” he said. The former National Assembly member emphasised that “placing competence and merit above religious and ethnic consideration in choosing leaders that would steer the affairs of the nation in the right direction is what Nigerians should consider while voting in 2023.” He also appealed to Nigerians to get their Permanent Voter Cards and vote massively for Tinubu come 2023, saying the APC presidential candidate was the only one among the presidential candidates who had deep understanding of Nigeria, its diversity and challenges and the capacity to fix the country to everyone’s satisfaction. The NUMBAT, which is working together with other patriotic citizens across religious and ethnic divides to promote national unity in diversity ahead of the 2023 general election, said it was supporting the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because of his detribalised and religious-tolerant nature.

  Former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has reacted to the choice of Sen Kashim Shettima as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Melaye said the decision had jeopardised the chances of APC winning 2023 presidential election, adding that the ruling party’s chieftains and stakeholders have rancours already. According to Melaye, who was a member of APC before he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 where he began his political career, the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC is self-destruct. Melaye said these in a video posted on his Instagram handle, @dinomelaye, on Monday, speaking with hilarity in Yoruba. Nigerians have voiced mixed reactions over Tinubu’s decision to pick Shettima as his vice, which makes two persons of the same religion. In his reaction via the video post, Melaye said: “APC don scatter. Fun ra won, won o fun ra won logun je. APC don pafuka. Fire alarm don go off. APC Muslim-Muslim ticket, wahala ti so, won tin ja won tin ja. Emi la o ni yosi?” Translated: “APC has scattered. By their own hands shall they poison themselves. “APC is doomed. Fire alarm has gone off. APC Muslim-Muslim ticket, problem has erupted. They are having rancor. Why won’t we be happy?”

  The All Progressives Congress (APC) says Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, its national legal adviser, did not resign his membership over the Muslim-Muslim ticket choice of the party. In a statement on Monday, Felix Morka, spokesman of the APC, said Daniel Bwala, a legal aide to Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy president of the senate, is not the party’s legal adviser as reported in some news outlets. “Our attention has been drawn to a false and misleading report circulating on some media platforms that the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has resigned,” Morka said. “Barr. Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq is, and remains, the National Legal Adviser of APC. Barr. Daniel Bwala was not the National Legal Adviser of the Party as erroneously reported. “The report is either borne out of mischief or extreme negligence. We urge the general public to kindly disregard.” TheCable reported Bwala’s resignation from the party.

  Favour Bassey Otu, a journalist with Silverbird Television, has resigned her job to support Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 general election. The broadcast journalist made the announcement on her Twitter page on Saturday. Otu said she made the decision to quit her job and support Obi because she is not allowed to be partisan due to the nature of her work. “They said a journalist must be non-partisan (unbiased and fair). So, I resigned my position with Silverbird TV to throw my full support on Peter Obi,” she said.   “After the elections next year, I’ll apply for a media job maybe with Channels TV or ARISE TV or start up my business. “We must get it right. Please this is not a campaign.”

  The Yobe State Governor, Mai Buni, has congratulated the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the choice of Senator Kashim Shettima, whom he described as a worthy candidate. The governor, who was the former Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, described the Tinubu-Shettima ticket as a victory ticket for the party. Buni, in a statement on Monday by his spokesman, Mamman Mohammed, said the choice of Shettima, would enrich the fortunes of the party with bright chances of victory in the 2023 general election. He said, “The combination of Tinubu and Shettima makes the party stronger to approach the presidential election next year with a clear victory.” Governor Buni said the APC presidential and vice-presidential candidates were people with bountiful wealth of experience in governance to make Nigeria great. “Their administrative competence, skills and success stories have adequately prepared them for the leadership of the country. “Nigeria has a lot to gain from the Tinubu-Shettima administration when elected into office,” he said. The governor advised that at this critical moment of a dwindling world economy, Nigeria needs the excellent combination and experience of Tinubu and Shettima. He charged the party to remain united and focused for a successful outing in 2023. The Yobe State Governor noted that Tinubu and Shettima had great respect for all religions, making the Muslim-Muslim ticket more acceptable because, they were both religious tolerant, working and living with people from different faiths. Governor Buni said, “With a population of over 40 million members, the APC will by the grace of God, win the 2023 elections fairly and squarely.”