Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Wednesday, warned Nigerians not to be fooled by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tricks to again “grab power and run with it” in 2027.

Frank who made this call in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, specifically urged Northern and Southern leaders including opposition parties to resist Tinubu’s desperate 2027 presidential bid.

He revealed that while Tinubu is on one hand blackmailing Southerners, especially opposition Governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) by playing the ethnic card to gain support, he is on the other hand threatening to deal with them if they fail to support him by declaring a state of emergency in their States over spurious charges of violence and corruption.

“He has increased the intensity now by blackmailing, intimidating and putting at least five PDP Governors from the South under duress to defect along with their Members in the National Assembly to the APC.

“To Tinubu, the 2027 election is about him versus the North and that is why he is trying desperately to enlist the support of the South through manipulation and subterfuge.
He has forgotten so soon that the North helped him to get to power in 2023,” he said.

According to the Bayelsa-born political activist, 2027 should not be about North or South but who would fix the myriads of challenges confronting the country, including the incessant killings, kidnappings and banditry as well as the harsh economic conditions foisted on the masses by Tinubu through fuel subsidy removal, increased electricity tariff and high cost of food and other essential services.

He said: “Nigerians are in need of a President who will help Nigeria become better, not ‘Northern candidate or Southern candidate’ or ‘Northern President or Southern President’.

“The country is overcharged already with divisions along ethnic lines. We therefore can’t afford to have a President who is setting one region against another for the sake of his own personal ambition.

“For me, Timi Frank, as a Southerner, I don’t believe in a tribalistic and divisive President. I believe in a leader that will come and unite rather than divide Nigeria.

“I advise every Northerner still supporting Tinubu to have a rethink. They should know that the North that apparently ‘assisted’ Tinubu to gain power in 2023 is suffering the most today.

“It is a fact that the North has been grossly sidelined in appointments and other infrastructure development programmes by Tinubu who has prioritised his personal and tribal life-interests over everything else.

“This is why the North should wake up. They should know this route Tinubu is going in terms of 2027 politics, is not the best for Nigeria. They should rise and speak with one voice in 2027.

“I want the Northern leaders to know that should Tinubu find his way back to power in 2027, the North will suffer untold neglect as Tinubu and the APC don’t have their genuine interest at heart.

“As we speak, at least five opposition Governors are set to defect to APC not because they like Tinubu but due to intense political pressure, intimidation and blackmail, while those who will remain have been made to sign undertakings to deliver their States to Tinubu, otherwise they will be made to lose their second term elections.

“Tinubu does not believe in the power of the people. Tinubu is working to steal the election results, to grab it (power) and run away with it like he did in 2023.

“If the North can’t see the omen of imminent regional stagnation and destruction, they will regret it if they do nothing to stop Tinubu in 2027.

“Tinubu does not believe in democracy and that is why he has succeeded in ensuring that PDP, Labour Party and any other opposition parties are enmeshed in intractable internal crisis in order to deny capable and qualified aspirants platforms to challenge him in 2027.

“His singular aim is to retain power in 2027 by hook or crook. He is doing all he can at the detriment of Nigerians, a complete negation of the oath of office he swore to on assumption of office as President.”

Timi Frank lamented that at the moment, Nigeria is on auto-pilot under Tinubu’s watch, yet he (Tinubu) wants to force himself on Nigerians again in 2027.

Timi Frank added: “Nigerians must on their part, prepare to reject Tinubu. It is the only patriotic thing to do as citizens. As citizens, we have a duty to reject a bad, clueless and rudderless leader and do all that is legally necessary to prevent him from returning to power.”

He urged the opposition leaders in the country to ensure that their coalition succeeds in defeating Tinubu in 2027.

“The coalition is in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. I therefore appeal to the leaders of the coalition to put Nigeria and Nigerians first as their decision would help reshape the country and its future going forward,” he said.

Comrade Victor Ojei, the Senior Special Assistant on Civil Societies and NGOs to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, has resigned from his position but not without issuing a damning indictment of the Delta State Government’s failure, inertia, and what he branded “voodoo governance.”

Ojei’s resignation letter, dated April 25, reads less like a courtesy and more like a war cry. In it, the activist – aka Wong Box – accused the administration of deliberately stalling developmental projects, stifling innovation, and leaving the ordinary Deltan “to drown while the government claps.”

“Not one policy guarantees their safety. Not one hope touches their roof,” Ojei declared. “This cannot continue, and I refuse to be part of a system that watches our people drown.”

His decision to step down comes amid widespread political turbulence in Delta State, following a controversial wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has angered many civil society leaders and grassroots stakeholders.

Government by sabotage

Ojei’s letter chronicles his frustrations from within government walls, how proposals aimed at bringing international development partners, AI-powered security technology, and grassroots innovation were repeatedly ignored or shelved under the euphemism “KIV (Keep In View).”

“Projects that could have sparked industrial revolutions, brought jobs to the unemployed, and put food in the mouths of widows and orphans were met with silence,” he wrote.

He pointed to the total absence of tangible economic benefits to ordinary citizens since the return to democracy in 1999, asking pointedly: “Where are the economic projects that bring money into the hands of ordinary people?”

Refusal to cross-carpet

Amid the political realignments rocking Delta, Ojei made it clear he would not defect to the APC, insisting he is “not a politician,” but a “socio-political activist whose loyalty is to the people, not the highest bidder.”

He took aim at what he called the “aggressive political conversion” of PDP-led states into APC territories, warning that the erosion of pluralism is dragging Nigeria dangerously close to authoritarianism.

“That is not democracy; that is voodoo governance,” he wrote.

A voice for the forgotten

Despite his resignation, Ojei remains defiant. He pledged to continue fighting for the people, vowing not to “resign from Delta State” or from “the hearts of the people.”

He cited his creation of the Save Delta State Security WhatsApp Platform, a grassroots coordination effort involving police, DSS, local leaders and youth, as one of his proudest initiatives while in office.

“A tree cannot make a forest when starved of rain,” he lamented, urging the government to redirect its borrowing toward actual security and economic upliftment.

A legacy of silence

Ojei’s parting words were a stark indictment of both Governor Oborevwori and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, whose combined tenures he implied have been defined by inertia, propaganda, and betrayal of public trust.

“Let it be known that Comrade Victor Ojei (Wong Box) stood when others bowed,” the letter concluded.

Source: eyewitnessngr.com

The President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has been appointed to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, joining a select group of global business leaders tasked with driving investment and job creation in emerging economies.

In 2023, Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, co-chaired the Private Sector Investment Lab, which focused on attracting £1 trillion in sustainable investment to support the energy transition in emerging markets.

In a statement confirming his acceptance, Dangote reaffirmed his commitment to fostering sustainable economic growth through private sector-led investment, noting the transformative potential of such initiatives in developing markets.

“I am both honoured and excited to accept my appointment to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, dedicated to advancing investment and employment in emerging economies,” the African industrialist said.

“This opportunity aligns with my long-standing commitment to sustainable development and unlocking the potential of developing economies. Drawing inspiration from the remarkable successes of the Asian Tigers, which have demonstrated the power of strategic investment and focused economic policy, I am eager to collaborate with fellow leaders to replicate such outcomes across other regions.”

The World Bank announced Dangote’s appointment on Wednesday as part of a broader expansion of its Private Sector Investment Lab, which now enters a new phase aimed at scaling up solutions to attract private capital and create jobs in the developing world.

Joining Dangote in the elite group are Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chair of Bharti Enterprises; and Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

The World Bank said the expanded membership brings together business leaders with proven track records in generating employment in developing economies—supporting the Bank’s sharpened focus on job creation as a central pillar of global development.

“With the expanded membership, we are mainstreaming this work across our operations and tying it directly to the jobs agenda that is driving our strategy,” said World Bank Group President Ajay Banga. “This isn’t about altruism—it’s about helping the private sector see a path to investments that will deliver returns, and lift people and economies alike. It’s central to our mandate.”

The global bank said that over the last 18 months, the Lab brought together leaders from global financial institutions to identify the most pressing barriers to private sector investment in developing countries and to test actionable solutions.

The statement said that the work had now been consolidated into five priority focus areas that were being integrated across the bank operations, including regulatory and policy certainty.

The Lab’s founding members included senior executives from AXA, BlackRock, HSBC, Macquarie, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Ninety One, Ping An Group, Royal Philips, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered, Sustainable Energy for All, Tata Sons, Temasek, and Three Cairns Group. The Lab is chaired by Shriti Vadera, Chair of Prudential plc.

The Dangote Group, founded by Aliko Dangote, is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent. With interests spanning cement, fertiliser, salt, sugar, and oil, the Group employs over 30,000 people and is the largest taxpayer in Nigeria—contributing more in taxes than all of Nigeria’s banks combined. It is also the country’s largest employer after the government.

The $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, the Group’s flagship project, stands as the largest single private investment in Africa.

In addition to his business interests, Dangote leads the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), the largest private foundation in sub-Saharan Africa, with the largest endowment by a single African donor. The Foundation primarily focuses on child nutrition, while also supporting interventions in health, education, empowerment, and disaster relief.