Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Sunday, 28th August, 2022

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today Sunday, 28th August 2022.

Nigeria is currently faced with a significant number of socio-economic issues, including insecurity, high cost of goods and services, unemployment, a 6-month-old strike embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), as well as other economic and financial challenges affecting the country.

The crushing depreciation of the Naira and the heightened insecurity has also created a sense of urgency for a lot of young Nigerians looking for a better life.

In this article, Naija News looks at the current trend among many Nigerian youths who are looking to ‘Japa’ a phrase used to describe travelling out of the country in search of greener pasture.

This is coupled with the fear of what would become the fate of many youths if the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, or Peoples Democratic (PDP) flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, emerged as president.

Daily on the microblogging platform, Twitter, ‘Japa’ takes the top trend, with many Nigerians expressing how the country will lose a lot of youths and experts if Tinubu or Atiku becomes president.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has reacted to the revelation by President Muhammadu Buhari on the candidates he would support for the 2023 election.

According to Tinubu, he is happy with the stand of the President and Buhari must be commended for openly and boldly making his stand known.

Naija News reports the APC candidate made his view known on Saturday in Abuja while playing host to members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) at the Tinubu/Shettima campaign office.

Tinubu’s reaction comes a few days after President Buhari on Wednesday declared that only authentic candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will get his support in the 2023 elections.

The President in a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu stated that those who defected to other parties or instituted court cases against validly elected APC candidates and the party will not get his support.

He also cautioned those who have defected from the APC to stop linking him with their actions as he remains absolutely committed to the party.

According to Buhari, the APC brought him to power and he won’t do anything that will undermine or jeopardize the chances of the party in the forthcoming election.

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, has denied describing universities owned by State governments as quack.

Several media platforms reported on Friday that the ASUU President said that state universities are quack and should not be taken seriously.

Naija News reports that Osodeke had on Thursday appeared on Arise TV and described some State universities that recently pulled out of the strike as unimportant and quack universities.

The development has triggered a backlash from some State universities who lambasted the ASUU president for allegedly calling them quack.

However, in an interview with Daily Post on Saturday, the ASUU president claimed that he was misquoted by the media, stressing that he never called all state varsities quack.

Osodeke disclosed that he was referring to only three universities owned by State governments which are currently not on strike.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, is set welcome the former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, back into the party.

Naija News reports that Atiku will lead PDP leaders to welcome Shekarau into the party after his recent outburst and accusation against the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso.

It is understood that the former Kano Governor is unsettled at the NNPP and he is believed to planning to dump the party for the PDP.

Shekarau said the NNPP and Kwankwaso have failed to integrate his supporters in the party structure, accusing his successor of betraying the agreement they had before his defection.

Atiku, who is expected to return from the UK on Sunday, will meet with Shekarau ahead of his official defection to the PDP.

With the 2023 elections fast approaching, the PDP is working to encroach into APC strongholds, especially as it contends with a yet-to-be-resolved internal crisis.

A former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshionhole, has refuted allegations that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, is planning to turn Nigeria into an Islamic country.

Oshiomhole stated that the APC presidential candidate has no ambition of Islamising Nigeria, describing Tinubu as a religious tolerant politician.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on Friday in Benin, the Edo State capital, Oshiomhole urged Nigerians not to be deceived by what other presidential candidates from other parties are saying.

Oshiomhole said Nigerians and politicians dwelling on the Muslim-Muslim ticket are doing so to distract people from the major issues.

He said, “We should explain to people about the APC ticket because there has been deliberate misinformation and an attempt to make the debate personal instead of issue-based.

“The issue is that we should vote for a person that will develop the country. Those dwelling on the Muslim-Muslim ticket are doing so to distract people from the major issues. If they ask for your vote ask them to show you what they have done to deserve your vote.

“Tinubu did not make Islam mandatory for his wife who is a Senator and a pastor. His children are also Christians and Muslims. Is there a better example of religious tolerance?”

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has explained why his alliance with Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party collapsed.

Kwankwaso made this known during an exclusive interview with News Central TV where he said that he turned down the request to serve as running mate to Obi because of the mood of the North.

According to him, most northerners wanted power to remain in the North and not to the South even after President Muhammadu Buhari must have completed his eight years in office.

When told that many young Nigerians were unhappy with him and that the planned alliance with Obi failed, Kwankwaso said: “Yes, I did everything possible for that alliance to work for many obvious reasons. In Kwankwassiya, we are not in a hurry.”

Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, are in a state of panic following the London meeting between the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

Naija News reports that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has insisted on Ayu’s resignation as one of his conditions to back the presidential bid of Atiku.

Wike’s camp claimed that Ayu had “promised to resign” his position if the presidential candidate of the PDP emerged from the North.

But in a statement released through his media aide, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Ayu stated that he was elected as the National Chairman to lead the party for the next four years.

He added that he is on an assignment to lead PDP on a rescue mission by February 2023.

It was, however, gathered that Atiku may be willing to accept Wike’s demands following the Rivers State governor’s meeting with opposition politicians.

Naija News recalls that the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu had on Monday met with Wike and some PDP governors at a hotel in London, UK.

Also, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Peter Obi had met with Wike in a move aimed at building broad support for the aspiration of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.

In a bid to avoid interruption or distraction from other politicians, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, chose to hold his reconciliation meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in London, UK.

Naija News reports that Atiku and Wike, alongside some governors, had been at loggerheads since May 2022, when Atiku emerged as the presidential candidate of the PDP. The crisis escalated after Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was unveiled as Atiku’s running mate on June 16. Moves to reconcile all parties have failed.

Atiku had on Thursday met with Wike in London alongside governors of Abia, Benue, Adamawa, and Oyo States. There were other PDP stakeholders like Donald Duke who were in attendance.

The parties involved chose London to avoid many talks and media attacks already associated with the meetings.

An ally of Atiku, familiar with the available outcome of the meeting, told Saturday Sun that Atiku was able to prevail on Wike and other aggrieved governors to suspend their push for the removal of the national chairman of the PDP Iyorchia Ayu until elections are conducted next year. He said Atiku hinged his argument on the dangers it will pose to the success of the PDP during next year’s elections.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday held a meeting with the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, and other members of the National Working Committee at his campaign office.

Those at the closed-door meeting held at the APC campaign office at the Central Business District in Abuja were Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; National Vice Chairman for South-West, Isaac Kekemeke; National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel; Deputy National Chairman for North, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and other notable NWC members in attendance.

According to The PUNCH, a source disclosed that the meeting might be connected to the prospect of wooing Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the need to resolve internal wrangling among his former co-aspirants and aggrieved party chieftains over the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Naija News reports that Tinubu had on Monday met with Wike and some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors at a hotel in London, UK.

The reported demands of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike from the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar have been revealed.

Naija News learned that the camp of Governor Wike insisted that the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu must resign from office.

Further report has it that Wike’s camp asked that Ayu should be given a dignified exit and accommodated in the new PDP government if it wins the 2023 presidential election.

Governor Wike’s camp also demanded that it be allowed to produce Ayu’s replacement and the person should come from the South-West.

This is coming after claims that Atiku agreed to meet the demands of Governor Wike after their reconciliation meeting in London.

It was, however, not stated if Atiku agreed to serve as president for a term to allow power shift to the South in 2027.

The camp also requested to produce the Senate President and some Principal officers of the National Assembly.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.