News

Tinubu vs Ambode: Who Blinks First?

Published

8 years ago

September 15, 2018

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Many has described it as a sad trend in the political life of the Jagaban of Borgu, former Governor of Lagos State as well as revered national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that whenever his so called anointed candidates conclude a first term, he seeks ways to deprive them of a second term in office even when it is against the people’s will. The case of Mr. Babatunde Fashola, now the Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing readily comes to mind. The duo had engaged in a running battle prior to the 2011 elections as rumour mills went to town broadcasting the fact Tinubu had lost faith in Fashola, and as a result sought his replacement. Fashola’s refusal resulted in a heated battle that was supposedly settled amicably, but far from it as both men hadly see eye to eye today. Tinubu lost a son, and Fashola lost a father.

Today, the whole scenario is playing out again as Governor Akinwunmi is the newest scape goat. Tinubu wants him out! What started like a spot of an idle hour suddenly has blossomed into a seasoned battle of wits. Though no verbal tantrums have been thrown, the war of silence has blared louder than a siren.

While Fashola only received the threat of being removed, Ambode’s case is a bit different, dangerous and dicey; his replacement has been named. He is Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He is a former aide to both Tinubu and former deputy governor, Mr. Femi Pedro. Sanwo-Olu also served as a commissioner under Tinubu.

With a satisfied notion that he has performed very well, Ambode is not bulging in his renewed resolve to seek a second term in office. He is also backed by a cross section of Lagosians in the quest.

However, the Mandate Group, 100 percent loyal to Tinubu, had enumerated Ambode’s sins which necessitated the need for him to be replaced including but not limited to alleged disrespect of the ‘leader’ and other party stakeholders. They accused him of running a one man show in his administration without recourse to anyone. In fact, they added that he has become very arrogant and must be taught a lesson.

The Boss investigation reveals that Lagosians are divided on the choice of Ambode with some saying that it is a wise decision that he should be replace while some others say it is not proper having achieved a lot in infrastructural development. The anti-Ambode group has said that there is nothing to show for the infrastructure as everywhere in Lagos has been turned upside down, and the populace is suffering greatly on the road on a daily basis. They maintained that the development of infrastructure does not warrant locking down a whole city.

“The roads have all been scattered and people go through hell every day in the name of traffic,” a respondent said.

More accusations ranging from the ‘poor’ handling of the PSP project which entails disposing of refuse in Lagos as well as reducing the powers of LASTMA among many other unconfirmed accusations have been adduced as some of the reasons why the powers that be want Ambode out.

But the incumbent governor does not feel like going anywhere as he declared on the day he picked his expression of interest and nomination forms that ‘I am undaunted, I am not tired…”

Reports also say that the governor has hinted that with or without the APC or godfather, he will win the 2019 governorship election in the state.

While Tinubu has not spoken directly, the invitation by the President to settle the fracas seemed to have yielded result as Sanwo-Olu cancelled his rally scheduled for Thursday on the order of ‘our leader’. The respite for Ambode was only temporary. The next day, Sanwo-Olu addressed the press to renew his campaigns one of which is scheduled for Sunday, September 16, 2018.

The die is actually cast. Ambode with the power of incumbency, and Tinubu, with a cult-like followership in Lagos State, it is actually uncertain who will have the last laugh, or rather who blinks first.

It is obvious however, that whatever happens on the long or short run, the damage is already done; things will never be the same again. The same Ambode that worshipped the footsteps of Tinubu may now have a rethink. It may resort to a no love lost situation like it is with Fashola.

News

‘ADC Membership Hits 500,000 after INEC Derecognition of Leadership’

Published

2 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress has recorded a surge in new members following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s decision to delist Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary of the party.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, revealed in a statement on his X account on Sunday that the party’s membership “had grown from over 40,000 registrations on April 2 to more than 500,000 new Nigerians joining between April 1 and today.”

INEC, through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the delisting on April 1, citing a court order that directed the commission to maintain the status quo pending a suit challenging the legality of Mark’s leadership.

The commission removed Mark and Aregbesola from its portal and said it would not recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who had approached the court seeking to be declared national chairman.

Haruna explained that INEC had received conflicting legal demands from opposing camps, including a cautionary letter from Suleiman Usman SAN & Co. advising against recognising Gombe, and a counter-letter from Summit Law Chambers requesting enforcement of the Court of Appeal judgment affirming Gombe’s position.

Reacting to the development, Abdullahi and his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Ini Ememobong, insisted the development was “a calculated attempt to undermine democratic structures,” and urged supporters to mobilise in defence of democratic principles.

News

Yusuf Tuggar Resigns As Foreign Affairs Minister

Published

7 days ago

March 30, 2026

Eric

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has resigned.

Tuggar’s resignation was confirmed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, on Monday.

The minister’s action followed the directive of President Bola Tinubu to all political appointees in his administration who intend to contest elective positions in the 2027 elections to resign from their posts on or before March 31.

The president had hinged his decision on Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries ahead of the 2027 polls.

Tuggar’s resignation comes amid the speculation of his interest in contesting the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He is a seasoned diplomat, policymaker, and political figure who was appointed as minister by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2023.

Born on March 12, 1967, he has built a distinguished career spanning diplomacy, politics, energy, and strategic consulting.

He is widely regarded for his role in shaping Nigeria’s global engagement and advancing its foreign policy priorities.

His political career includes serving as a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, representing the Gamawa Constituency in Bauchi State.

The diplomat later contested the governorship of the state in two election cycles.

From 2017 to 2023, Tuggar served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, where he played a key role in strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing trade cooperation, and promoting Nigeria’s interests in Europe.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tuggar led Nigeria’s diplomatic efforts under the Tinubu administration.

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News

WAEC Releases Results of CB-WASSCE 2026-First Series for Private Candidates

Published

1 week ago

March 27, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the release of the results of candidates, who participated in the 2026-First Series Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (CB-WASSCE) for private candidates.

The release notice is contained in a statement signed by the Ag. Head, Public Affairs, Moyosola F. Adesina, on behalf of the Head of National Office, and made available to The Boss.

The statement, containing the details of the number of candidates, passes and failures as well as those still undergoing processing, is produced below:

RELEASE OF RESULT OF THE COMPUTER-BASED WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (CB-WASSCE) FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES, 2026-FIRST SERIES

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, wishes to announce to candidates, stakeholders and the general public that the result of the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2026–First Series, has been released.

The examination took place in Nigeria between Wednesday, January 28, and Saturday, February 14, 2026. The Coordination of Examiners and Marking of Candidates’ Scripts were carried out at THREE (3) Marking Venues in Lagos, Enugu, and Kaduna from Thursday, February 26, to Friday, March 13, 2026. A total of SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHT (608) Examiners participated in the Coordination and Marking Exercise.

TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE (10,523) candidates, representing an 11.49% increase, when compared with the 2025 entry figure of NINE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT (9,438),enrolled for the examination, while TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (10,480) candidates sat the examination at ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX (166) centres spread across the country.

Among the candidates that sat the examination, FORTY-THREE (43) candidates, with varying degrees of Special Needs, registered for the examination. Out of this number, ELEVEN (11) were visually impaired, FOUR (4) had impaired hearing and FOUR (4) were Albinos. All these candidates with special needs were adequately provided for in the administration of the examination.

Of the total number of TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (10,480) candidates that sat the examination, FIVE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND SIX (5,106) were males while FIVE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR (5,374) were females, representing 48.72% and 51.28% respectively.

Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, EIGHT THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN (8,418) candidates, representing 80.32% have their results fully processed and released while TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTY-TWO (2,062) candidates, representing 19.68 % have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors traceable to them.

However, efforts are being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released, subsequently.
The analysis of the statistics of the candidates’ performance shows that out of the TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (10,480) candidates that sat the examination:
 FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT (4,598) candidates representing 43.87% obtained credit and above in a minimum of FIVE (5) subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics);
 THREE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE (3,429) candidates representing 32.72% obtained credit and above in a minimum of FIVE (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics

Of this number, ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN (1,847) i.e., 53.86% were male candidates, while ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNRED AND EIGHTY-TWO (1,582), i.e., 46.14% were female candidates. The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2024 and 2025 – First Series, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, were 30.95% and 26.96% respectively. Thus, there is a marginal increase of 5.76% in performance in this regard.

Furthermore, SEVENTY-FIVE (75) Candidates’ results, representing 0.72% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for determination. The Committee’s decisions will be communicated directly to the affected candidates, thereafter.
Candidates may check their results by visiting www.waecdirect.org to ascertain their status before visiting the Digital Certificate platform (www.waec.org) to access the digital copies of their certificates, which have been released along with the results. Candidates will be required to apply for the printing of the hard copies of their certificates online, through the WAEC Certificate Request Portal (e-Certman). The portal address is https://certrequest.waec.ng/. All candidates who sat the diet are hereby advised to check their results carefully and take necessary actions as required.