The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, says he does not know what happened to the video camera he recovered at the Lekki tollgate after the #EndSARS protests.

Fashola said this during an interview on Arise Television which was monitored by our correspondent.

The former governor of Lagos State, who had visited the state in October last year to assess the damage caused by hoodlums, spotted a camcorder at the toll plaza which he handed over to a government official.

The viral footage of Fashola’s “recovery” became a meme on social media and trended for several weeks.

When asked what became of the camera, Fashola responded, “You should not be asking me. You have the tapes showing that I handed it over to the government of Lagos so you have all the recordings. I think your people were there. So don’t ask me what happened to the camera. I don’t know.”

The Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organization has rejected the outcome of the just-concluded Anambra state governorship election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The campaign group appealed to the APC supporters to remain peaceful and calm, saying “we will not relent in pursuing our stolen electoral mandate to the limit of the law through all the constitutional means available as the facts on ground did not in any way reflect the outcome of the elections as announced by the obviously compromised INEC.”

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has said many Nigerian presidents are not loved by the citizens until they are dead.

Fashola blamed this on the poor understanding of the powers of a president.

He also said lack of proper interaction between the president and the citizens was responsible for Nigerians not loving their presidents while alive.

The former Governor of Lagos State spoke as a guest speaker at the Yoruba Tennis Club public lecture, with the theme, ‘What can the President do for me?’

“Of all the Presidents we have had, Nigerians never loved any one of them while in office; we seem to love them after they have left or died. Why is that so? To me, the answer is lack of depth in interaction.

“Nigerians are not sufficiently familiar with the constitution and the role of which offices are expected to play. It seems to me that we are expecting the right thing from the wrong place. I can’t ask the chairman of the Yoruba Tennis Club to do for me the responsibility of the secretary of the club.

Okorocha’s son in law and 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, on Tuesday, said that the ruling party was the cause of its poor outing in the Anambra State governorship election which was held on Saturday.

Nwosu said that the party’s woeful outing in the Anambra State governorship election which saw it not even winning any local government area in the 20 LGAs the Independent National Electoral Commission had collated results, was “self-inflicted.”

Nwosu accused the APC of not having respect for the founding chieftains and members of the party in the South East zone.

Nwosu said, “What is happening to the APC in the South-East is a result of a poor reward system.

“The APC undermined those who worked so hard to plant the party in the zone and instead embraced newcomers who do not have what it takes to endear the party to the people,” he said.

The APC chieftain maintained, “If the founding fathers of the party are not appeased and handed back the reins of the APC, its fortune will continue to go down.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Anambra State, Mr. Basil Ejidike, has called for the cancelation of the yet-to-be-concluded governorship election in the state.

Ejidike, in a statement Sunday night in Awka, accused the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), of rigging the election, in connivance with “corrupt-minded INEC officials”.

He said: “What is happening in Anambra is never an election but big time electoral fraud and malpractice.

“We want the whole world to hear our voice that we will never accept the outcome of the Anambra gubernatorial election.

“The candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the sitting Governor, Willie Obiano, manipulated the whole electoral system and we will stand to resist it.

“Ndi Anambra wants an APC Governor and there’s nothing anyone can do to deny them that opportunity.

“We virtually won in all the local government, but Willie Obiano and Charles Soludo, through instrumentality, corrupt-minded INEC officers, subverted the whole process in favour of APGA.

“We want INEC to cancel the election and fix a date for a fresh election devoid of manipulations and malpractices.”

The Anambra APC Chairman vowed to head to the court, should INEC insist on declaring the APGA candidate winner of the governorship election.

According to him, “But if INEC goes ahead to announce the results, we will definitely challenge the election process at the court of law, up-to Supreme Court. Nobody can intimidate us.”

Responding to the allegation, the chairman of APGA in the state, Nobert Obi, who spoke on phone, described the APC accusation as uncalled for, noting that everyone witnessed a free and fair election.

He said: “I don’t want to talk about the accusation. The accusation is uncalled for as everyone witnessed a free and fair election. I don’t know where they got such information from.”

About 11 days ago, I received a group of actors, comedians, musicians, filmmakers, under the aegis of Ambassadors of Voice for Change.

Their mission is to work for unity in the country through road shows, rallies, town hall meetings etc.

They included: Zack Orji, Ben Kure, Saheed Balogun, Gentle Jack, Mr Ibu, Chiege Alisigwe, Benedict Johnson, Andy Chukwu, and Sani Denja. On Monday, November 1, Ahmed Bala, coordinator of the group, brought in two more entrants into the group, on a courtesy visit to State House.

They are renowned actor, Harry Anyanwu, and Kannywood actress, Halima Hadi. Surely, the scope widens. National Unity is a MUST.

The General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor Williams Kumuyi has advised Nigerians against criticising those in positions of authority.

In a Twitter thread on Sunday titled, ‘The Church and the challenges of a nation’, Kumuyi admitted the failures of the Muhammadu Buhari regime but stated that God is more interested in a “fusion of obedience to His Word and relating amicably with fellow human beings, regardless of class, colour, caste (religion) or culture”.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says Nigeria is on the edge of precipice as the country is going through the most trying and difficult period of its existence.

He said this on Saturday during the 2021 elective National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Eagle Square, Abuja.

The Wazirin Adamawa, therefore, appealed to party members and all Nigerians to shun past differences, set aside political machinations and scheming and wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said the APC had “comprehensively” failed Nigerians for the past six years but there is still an opportunity to set the ship on the right course by atoning for the mistake of past leadership and uniting the country on the part towards greatness.

He said: “I can tell you that I am 70 years plus but I have never seen this country in such a very bad shape, so disunited, so much unemployment, so much insecurity in its history.

“The social and security challenges in all corners along with the lingering tension surrounding the very nature of our corporate existence as a nation, Nigeria is at the edge of precipice because of the lackluster performance and complacency successive administrations in culminating in the gross failure of this APC-led government.

“The APC has proven itself to be unequip to lead the nation. They have shown themselves to be corrupt, in fact, the most corrupt, sectional and divisive party that was never prepared to lead this country. If we had the idea of what it took to lead a diverse, multiethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria.

“The responsibility therefore is for us to arrest the downward spiral of the Nigerian nation and save the country from even greater calamities. This is our collective responsibility.”

Atiku added: “We must set aside our differences. We must bring forth our brightest lights and position themselves to rescue, restore and rebuild the foundation.

“This time is a critical juncture for us politicians to work together to return Nigerians on the part of growth and development.

“The unity of key players in the PDP is an extension of the unity of Nigerians. I believe we should return and focus the party on part of competence.
“The decisions we take today will determine the future of trajectory of our party and our beloveth party. We can’t afford to fail and we will not fail. We all put out hands together with sincerity of purpose rescue our great country, Nigeria.”

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described some comments made by Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara as false allegations.

Governor AbdulRazaq, in an exclusive interview with a national newspaper, published on Monday, alleged that the minister dehumanised him, stole N100m during the campaign and other preparations towards the 2019 Governorship and other elections in the state.

Lai Mohammed said: “I read the article and I also read the response of some people.

“I believe that issues of national importance I have come here to discuss are more important than the personal disagreement between me and the governor.

“At the appropriate time and forum, I will respond to the false allegations.

The minister also declined response to questions on the parallel congresses held by the APC in some states.

There are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress may adopt consensus arrangement to pick its presidential candidate in 2023.

Top chieftains of the APC, who confided in The PUNCH on Tuesday, said stalwarts of the party had started reaching out to members nursing presidential ambition on the need to close ranks.

According to them, the party fears that “a crowded presidential primary may breed bad blood and threaten the chances of the party in 2023.”

It was gathered that the APC National leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, would soon meet as part of the arrangement.