General
Group Warns Kogi Governor Over COVID-19 Vaccine Utterances
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has been warned to be mindful of his utterances concerning the COVID-19 vaccines because his actions lately were “tantamount to incitement to commit war crime.”
Mr Bello has not hidden his opinion concerning the virus, which emanated from China and spread to the four corners of the globe.
The contagion was first recorded in Nigeria on February 27, 2020, and at the moment, it has infected more than 100,000 persons in the country and killed over 1,400 people.
Globally, it has infected and killed millions of people, with the United States, Brazil, India and others among the worst-hit in the world.
But the Kogi State Governor has always rushed to the rooftop to say COVID-19 was not real and recently, he was seen in a video saying the vaccine developed in an unprecedented time was aimed to implant something on people, urging his people not to receive the jabs.
Reacting to this, a group known as the APC Mandate Defenders argued that discouraging Nigerians not to be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines in the face of the ongoing biological war was criminal.
The group, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ifeanyi Emeka, reminded the young Governor that no vaccine would be administered on any Nigerian without the authorisation of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
According to the APC Mandate Defender, there are different types of vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the various regulatory bodies across the globe.
Some of the approved vaccines are Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine, Moderna Vaccine, Sinovac Vaccine among others.
“Therefore, alleging that President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government wants to introduce vaccines to kill Nigerians in his unfortunate video is the height of desecration and disrespect for the Office of the President of the country.
“It also amounts to insubordination as well as usurping the powers of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the group.
“We can afford to allow Governor Bello to continue with his foolishness unrestrained, but accusing the president of introducing vaccines in order to kill Nigerians will not be tolerated by any means because that is the highest form of incitement against Mr President,” it warned.
The organisation appealed to Nigerians to ignore Mr Bello and rally round Mr Buhari as he “strives to fulfil his campaign promises to the people because, inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.”
The APC Mandate Defender emphasised that it would “resist [the] covert and overt strategies [of the Governor] aimed at destroying the government of President Buhari who still have some years to make Nigeria better.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Contrary to reports making the rounds, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is not considering passing a bill to make it a criminal offence for single ladies having romantic affairs with married men in the state.
On Monday, unconfirmed news went viral, purporting that a phantom Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Akon Etim, had sponsored a bill to ensure single ladies having sexual relationship with married men spend 10 years in prison, while the men pay a fine of N2 million.
It was claimed that the bill was to be passed by the state parliament, today, Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Business Post reports that the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State is Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, not Mrs Akon Etim.
Reacting to the reports, the chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr Jerry Anson Otu, described the reports as “false.”
“The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly wishes to categorically state that this report is entirely false and has no basis in fact. The Assembly has not received or considered any such bill, and the Deputy Governor has not sponsored it.
“We condemn this malicious attempt to tarnish the image of the Deputy Governor and the Assembly, and urge the public to disregard this fake news and any associated commentaries.
“The House remains committed to its constitutional role of law-making, and will not be swayed by mischievous attempts to undermine its integrity,” parts of the statement issued by the parliament stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is eyeing stronger diplomatic and strategic ties when it comes to sustainable development as it participates in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
President Bola Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Sunday. His plane landed at the Presidential Wing of Zayed International Airport at exactly 11:30 pm local time.
He was received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi; Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; and members of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi.
Several other ministers, including the Minister of Budget and Planning, Mr Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Jumoke Oduwole; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mr Mohammed Mohammed, welcomed President Tinubu at his hotel.
President Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi from Europe, where he spent part of his end-of-year break, engaging in fruitful discussions with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement by the presidency.
The 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, with the theme The Nexus of Next, All Systems Go, is a global platform that brings together world leaders, policymakers, investors, and experts to advance dialogue and action on sustainable development, climate action, energy transition, and inclusive economic growth.
This visit further reinforces the strong diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while positioning Nigeria as an active contributor to global conversations on sustainable development.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to account for about N55.9 billion earmarked for the purchase of some materials for the 2019 general elections has forced the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to file a lawsuit against the commission.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/38/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP asked the court for an order of mandamus to compel INEC to disclose the names of all contractors paid the sum of money.
It was claimed that the N55.9 billion was meant for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other election materials for the 2019 general elections, which produced the late Mr Muhammadu Buhari as President for a second term in office.
SERAP is relying on the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025, to ask for the use of the funds, which is said to be missing or diverted.
The organisation argued that the electoral umpire “must operate without corruption if the commission is to ensure free and fair elections in the country and uphold Nigerians’ right to participation.”
“INEC cannot ensure impartial administration of future elections if these allegations are not satisfactorily addressed, perpetrators including the contractors involved are not prosecuted and the proceeds of corruption are not fully recovered,” a part of the statement issued by the group stated.
“INEC cannot properly carry out its constitutional and statutory responsibilities to conduct free and fair elections in the country if it continues to fail to uphold the basic principles of transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
“These allegations also constitute abuse of public office and show the urgent need by INEC to commit to transparency, accountability, clean governance and the rule of law,” it further declared.
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