On Monday, members of the All Progressives Congress in significant towns located throughout the state of Osun organised get-togethers in order to celebrate the inauguration of Bola Tinubu as the new President.

Our correspondent in Ila, Iragbiji, Ikire, Iwo, Osogbo, and Ife conducted some checks, and the results showed that members of the APC gathered at predetermined locations to watch Tinubu’s swearing-in ceremony on television, and then they held the celebration afterward.

Tinubu’s birthday was celebrated by party members who gathered at the home of Chief Bisi Akande, a former interim national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ila.

Members of the APC were also seen engaging in celebratory partying in Iragbiji, which is the town in which Adegboyega Oyetola served as governor of the state before his most recent term ending.

A large number of party members were also present at the secretariat of the APC state party in Osogbo, which was located in Osogbo. There, they were entertained by a band.

Adegboyega Adelabu, who served as the Special Adviser, Youth and Sports to the former governor, Oyetola, told The PUNCH in Osogbo at the APC state secretariat that celebrations of Tinubu’s inaguration took place across the nine federal constituencies in the state. Adelabu spoke with The PUNCH at the APC state secretariat.

He stated that this is happening in each of Osun State’s nine federal constituencies at the present time. While we are in the midst of the festivities here in Osogbo, this occasion is also being observed in the surrounding federal constituencies of Ede, Iwo, Ikire, Ife, Ilesa, Ijebu-ijesa, Ila, and Ikirun.

“Today is a joyous occasion as we celebrate the birth of the All Progressives Congress. “I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this will be the first time in this country’s history that a staunch progressive will hold the office of president,” he said.

On the other hand, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, extended his congratulations to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on the accomplishment of his successful inauguration.

In a statement issued by Oyebanji’s Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, Oyebanji referred to the newly elected President as “a seasoned administrator and strategist who has the wealth of experience to turn the fortunes of Nigeria around positively, making use of abundant human and material resources.” Oyebanji made this remark in response to a question about the new President’s qualifications.

The governor made the following statement: “With President Tinubu in the driving seat, Nigeria is in safe hands for sustainable development, economic revival, sustenance of infrastructure renewal, reduction of poverty, wealth creation, and job creation, as well as fulfilment of electoral promises made in the lead up to the presidential election.”

Additionally, a sociopolitical organisation based in the South-South known as the Niger Delta Youth Council congratulated Tinubu on the success of his inauguration and urged him to “focus on infrastructure development, so as to cast his name in gold” and “prioritise the proper development of the Niger Delta region.”

In the ongoing lawsuit between its candidate, Peter Obi, and the president and leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, the Labour Party on Tuesday called its first witness.

Jibrin Okutepa, the legal representative for the LP and Obi, claimed that documents one through four as well as the receipts offered are the ones where Kashim Shettima, the vice president, accepted the APC’s nomination to run for vice president.

Lawyer Lawrence Nwakaeti, the witness, revealed that he was sworn in on March 20, 2023, according to the witness statement.

Nwakaeti’s deposition included documents that included information about the alleged $460,000 forfeiture by Tinubu to the US government.

The LP and Obi are asking the court to overturn Tinubu’s victory on a number of grounds, including the fact that the president “at the time of the election was not qualified to contest for election to the office of President as he was fined the sum of $460,000 for an offence involving dishonesty, namely narcotics trafficking imposed by the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in Case No: 93C 4483.”

During the cross-examination, the witness acknowledged that the judgement was not registered in Nigeria while responding to questions.

He also acknowledged that the judgement was not supported by a certificate from a Nigerian or American consulate.

On the other hand, he insisted that “the judgement speaks for itself.”

“As a lawyer, you are aware that these documents are not registered in Nigeria and there is no certificate attached to the document from the US?” inquired Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the APC’s attorney. Lawrence responded by saying there are certificates.

Is a certificate from the US consulate present?

“No certificate from the consular,” Nwakaeti answered.

Additionally, he claimed to be unaware of a legal attaché’s formal clearance report from the American Embassy dated February 4, 2003, regarding the purported indictment and forfeiture.

The witness refused to provide a copy of the charges against Tinubu when Fagbemi, SAN, asked him to do so, but he insisted that the forfeiture was the result of civil proceedings.

“You are aware that all of the proceedings were civil proceedings?”

“Civil forfeiture proceedings,” the witness said.

Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, the court’s presiding justice, has postponed further hearing on the petition until May 31.

Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has been imprisoned by the Department of State Services. The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra has begged President Bola Tinubu to free him.

During a celebration of the 56th anniversary of Biafra on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, MASSOB leader Uchenna Madu made the appeal in a statement.

“Today, we remembered, celebrated, and commemorated the sacrifices our valiant Biafra soldiers made for our freedom,” the statement said. MASSOB recalled the suffering, agony, starvation, subjections, hunger, mesmerization, and tremendous costs that our ancestors—fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters—paid for the freedom of Biafra.

We will continue to remember them because they inspire and rekindle our unwavering and unwavering zeal and commitment to the self-determination of Biafra every time they suffer.

“The non-violent approach is the cornerstone of the new struggle for Biafra’s restoration and self-determination, which is led by MASSOB and others.

In remembrance of the brutalities, persecutions, mesmerization, traumatic torture, extrajudicial killings, afflictions, imprisonment, and traumatic deaths at the hands of Nigerian security agents, MASSOB members are in a sombre state of reflection today across the globe.

“The more political detention the freedom fighters endure, the harder they become, and the more uncontrollable their supporters become.

“MASSOB demands that the new president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, who has previously stated that he does not believe in Nigeria, release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB.

“MASSOB thanks the people of Biafra for their gracious observance of today’s Biafra Day anniversary celebration,” it says.

Nasir El-Rufai, the recently-retired governor of Kaduna State, stated on Monday that he left the state in a better state than when he arrived in 2015 because he started legacy projects that gave the people more power.

El-Rufai stated he left N5 billion and $2.05 million in the state coffers.

He did, however, reveal that he also left the new administration with a domestic debt of N80.60 billion and a foreign debt of $577.32 million.

“The Federal Government owes Kaduna State approximately N41 billion in reimbursements for infrastructure and security expenditures, which will be paid to the state in due course.

This excludes the sums owed to the state as a portion of the total stamp duty receipts, which are expected to total more than N100 billion and which the incoming administration will undoubtedly receive before the end of this year.

“I am therefore optimistic that the incoming government will, in due course, be in a position to settle all inherited liabilities, complete ongoing projects, and initiate new ones by the Grace of God,” said El-Rufai.

In the meantime, Senator Uba Sani was sworn in as the new governor of Kaduna State on Monday. He promised that his administration would serve all residents of the state, regardless of their political, racial, or religious affiliation.

In his inaugural speech, the governor renamed the well-known “Rabah Road,” where the late Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the defunct Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, lived, as “Nasir El-Rufai Road,” shortly after being sworn in at the Murtala Square in Kaduna with his deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe.

The governor stated that he took office as the state’s new leader “well prepared, very determined, and imbued with a clear vision for the continued progress” for the state in a prepared speech titled “Hope renewed; consolidation assured.”

Inclusion, fairness, justice, and equity would serve as the guiding principles of his administration, he added.

He added that the settler/indigene dichotomy would disappear in Kaduna State while he was governor because “we are all citizens of Kaduna State with equal rights, privileges, and responsibilities.”

“My government will be the government of all,” the governor declared. I owe you something, regardless of whether you supported me in the election. I’ll treat everyone fairly.

He counselled his successor to put together a capable team to assist him in efficiently managing the affairs of the state.

Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, the president of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), extends his congratulations to Bola Ahmad Tinubu, who was sworn in as the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 17th president today.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who served as president of Nigeria for two terms, was succeeded by President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a two-time governor of Lagos State.

Dr. Abubakar, who congratulates President Tinubu on behalf of the Executive Council and the ACCI members, said that there are a lot of expectations for the president and prayed that God would give him the strength to accomplish everything he outlined in his inaugural address.

With the wealth of business and political experience President Tinubu has so far, he claimed, “we believe that Nigeria will experience a new turn.”

Nigeria is waiting to see how the new administration will approach important economic issues, security concerns, and employment issues, among others.

In his inaugural address, he declared that “security shall be the top priority of our administration because prosperity and justice cannot prevail in an environment of insecurity and violence.We will update both the architecture and our security doctrine in order to address this threat effectively.

Regarding the economy, “we aim to increase GDP growth and significantly lower unemployment. The following actions are what we plan to take to achieve this: First, there will be a budgetary reform that stimulates the economy without causing inflation. Second, industrial policy will make use of all available fiscal tools to support domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports. Third, both homes and businesses will be able to access and afford electricity. Networks for transmission and distribution should be improved, and power generation should nearly double. States will be urged to create local sources as well.

He added that his administration must give our youth worthwhile opportunities.

According to Dr. Abubakar, as a chamber of commerce and industry, we anticipate favourable policies that will benefit the business community and make a significant contribution to the growth of the economy.

“We do hope that this administration will honour its commitments to security, employment, infrastructure provision, and other orders.”

We once more extend our congratulations to President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 16th president, and Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running mate.