The lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory at the National Assembly, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has said she will throw her weight behind anyone who picks the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
READ ALSO: 2027: Wike Isn’t A Threat To Me Politically — Sen Ireti Kingibe
The lawmaker, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, described herself as a nationalist.
“I am a nationalist. The truth is that Peter Obi may be the candidate of the ADC in 2027; he may not be.
“I joined the ADC as an opposition to support the party and whoever the candidate is; if it’s Peter Obi, very well and good, we will work for him.
“If he is not, whoever it is, we will work for the person, too.
“Now, as you say, if the country chooses to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then so be it, then he will be the President. But I’ve always believed in the opposition; I don’t think a one-party state is the best thing for our democracy,” she added.
President Bola Tinubu Credit: X/@aonanuga1956
Kingibe said Nigerians were not doing well under the administration of President Tinubu, as they were not prospering as they were expected to.
According to her, Nigerians could do with a lot less tax.
She urged Tinubu to review how his policies were impacting the lives of the masses.
On the President’s claim that the sacrifices made by Nigerians would soon end, the senator said, “I don’t know if we are nearing the end.
“The truth is that there is bound to be some pain, but I think that certain things can be put in place to alleviate the discomfort for the people.”
She stated that his policies won’t work if they are circumvented.
Kingibe said that though the President’s intentions are good, implementation was a challenge.
‘LP Not Viable’
Meanwhile, the senator who recently defected to the ADC from the Labour Party said the LP, on whose platform she won the 2023 FCT senatorial election, is currently not a viable platform for seeking election in Nigeria.
According to her, the LP was factionalised, and, therefore, she could not be accused of jumping ship, saying “there are two Labour Party ships”.
She also dismissed the speculation that her political career is under threat by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
She said Wike had “no say” whether she would return to the Senate or not in the 2027 general elections.
European leaders, including in France and Germany, have announced they are working on a plan in the event the United States follows through on its threat to take over Greenland as tensions soar.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio on Wednesday that while nations want to act if the US moves to seize Greenland from an ally, Denmark, they want to do so “together with our European partners”.
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“I myself was on the phone with the [US] Secretary of State [Marco Rubio] yesterday… He discarded the idea that what just happened in Venezuela could happen in Greenland,” Barrot said.
On Saturday, the United States – using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and special forces – abducted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, bringing him to New York City to be tried for alleged drug trafficking.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to greenlight the abduction of Maduro led to widespread condemnation and fear that Greenland, which the president has previously said should be part of Washington’s security apparatus, could be forcibly taken.
But since then, European allies have rallied behind Greenland’s sovereignty, saying the country belongs to its people.
‘Sensible dialogue – now’
Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Finland’s parliament, called for the issue to be raised within NATO.
“[Allies should] address whether something needs to be done and whether the United States should be brought into line in the sense that it cannot disregard jointly agreed plans in order to pursue its own power ambitions,” he said.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, requested an urgent meeting with Rubio to discuss the situation.
“We would like to add some nuance to the conversation,” Rasmussen wrote in a social media post. “The shouting match must be replaced by a more sensible dialogue. Now.”
Denmark has warned that any move to take Greenland by force would mean “everything would stop”, including NATO and 80 years of close security links.
Greenland’s government will join a meeting between Rubio and Danish officials next week following renewed US claims on the Arctic island, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.
The European Union will support Greenland and Denmark when needed and will not accept violations of international law no matter where they occur, European Council President Antonio Costa said.
“On Greenland, allow me to be clear: Greenland belongs to its people. Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark or without Greenland,” Costa said in a speech.
“The European Union cannot accept violations of international law – whether in Cyprus, Latin America, Greenland, Ukraine, or Gaza. Europe will remain a firm and unwavering champion of international law and multilateralism.”
Control of Greenland
Greenland – the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000 people – is located between Europe and North America. Since 2019, during Trump’s first term, the president has raised the idea of controlling Greenland, saying it would benefit US security.
So far, Trump has not ruled out using force to take the island.
Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Trump’s intention is to buy Greenland. “That’s always been the president’s intent from the very beginning.”
House US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he hasn’t heard talk of sending the military into Greenland and the US is “looking at diplomatic channels”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his national security team have “actively discussed” the option of buying Greenland.
“He views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region. And so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like,” Leavitt told reporters.
Neither Leavitt nor Rubio ruled out the use of force. But Leavitt said, “The president’s first option, always, has been diplomacy.”
Pulling into Grantchester in a racy red Triumph sports car, dishy vicar Rev Alphy Kottaram displayed decidedly un-Christian behaviour by punching DI Georgie Keating on the nose
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Rishi Nair plays dishy vicar Rev Alphy Kottaram in Grantchester.
Wincing, as he recalls the moment he assaulted his co-star Robson Green, actor Rishi Nair says: “I was so nervous being the new kid. My first scene was punching Robson in the face and I was like ‘don’t break his nose as I will get my P45.’
“It was scary when I first joined, as they were already in season nine. You get the job and you are super excited and happy and then you think ‘oh God, don’t cancel this show after one season’.
Fortunately, Robson’s face remained intact and so did Rishi’s contract, with the 10th and penultimate series of the show airing its first episode tonight on ITV1 at 9pm.
Joining the show in 2024, former Hollyoaks star Rishi’s violent encounter came when Robson mistook him for a burglar at the Grantchester vicarage. But, in real life, Rishi, 34, says the two men – who solve weekly whodunnits together – are firm friends.
READ MORE: Horrific life of kids snatched by dad – from vile food to cold, filthy camp
He says: “When I joined the show there was a chemistry check. But we both love football. Robson supports Newcastle United and I support manchester-united-fc>Manchester United. When I first came in to do the chemistry check I was like ‘don’t mess this up’. But when Robson saw me he gave me a big hug and I felt so relaxed. We just started talking about football for 15 minutes. Within that 15 minutes we had great chemistry. It helped me do the best job I could.”
As Grantchester’s third priest, following in the dog collar of James Norton and Tom Brittney, Rishi laughs recalling how the producer asked him to go shirtless in an early scene, while she was passing him a plate of cake. He says: “That is true. She said ‘maybe in two weeks time?’ And I was like ‘maybe not after the cake!’”
The coveted role means Rishi is now recognised by fans in the street. He says: “I tell them if they want to kind of tell me all their sins, ‘I’m all ears.’ So I’ve heard some stories told to me, but I’m not sure I should probably repeat those.”
Series 10 of Grantchester, which is also broadcast in America on the PBS channel, kicked off on Wednesday night, with the DI and the priest faced with the murder of an old soldier at their local village fair. But Rishi says Dickens, the black Labrador retriever dog, is the real star of the show. He says: “The days when Dickens was on set were my favourite. He just brings so much joy.
“I was in awe of Dickens, because this guy can literally just hit marks, and he knows when to leave the scene, when to come onto the scene. I remember thinking ‘man, this guy’s a better actor than I am’. This is incredible. Dickens just lights up the room when he comes in. No-one wants to work when Dickens is there, because everyone just wants to play with him.”
Grantchester has also highlighted some important issues regarding race, as Rishi plays an Indian vicar living in the mainly white Cambridgeshire community. When the London born actor joined, it was meant to be set in 1961. He says: “When Alphy first arrived in Grantchester, there’s this beautiful scene when he walks into a pub and everyone just stops drinking and they go silent and turn their heads.
“And his first response is, ‘Can I buy anyone a drink?’ He knows what people’s expectations are going to be of him when they see him and see this brown face. But he’s trying to kind of change their minds and trying to do it in a pleasant way and killing them with kindness. For me as an actor, I think it was important to show that is what life would be like. It would be wrong for me to walk into the pub and everyone be my best mate, as that is not what life would have been like in that period. Grantchester is a very white British town. Even today, it’s a bit like that. So I think he [the vicar] knows what he’s coming into and he kind of just approaches everything head on, full throttle.”
Rishi says playing the vicar in scenes set in the 1960s reminded him of stories his grandmother told him about what life was like when she first came to England. He says: “You were just suddenly in this country. You’re a brown woman and there’s just white people and you can’t speak the language. Like, what must have that been like?”
Grantchester has been an invaluable experience for Rishi, who will always be grateful for the prime time TV exposure it has given him. He says: “I just remember growing up as a kid, I loved watching movies, and every time, you know, you would kind of see the lead man on screen and I would always just think, ‘I would love to do that, I would love that to be me.’
“When I was at sixth form college and was about 16 I had to decide what I wanted to do. I used to always love doing drama at school. It kind of felt like a bit of a cheat subject. I was like, ‘how is this on a par with like chemistry and maths?’ And then when I kind of got older and realised people do make a career out of this, I was like, ‘I would love to give that a go.’
“But I was also very conscious that the people that I was seeing on screen that were playing these lead actors that I wanted to be like, none of them looked like me. So I knew that me wanting to do this was a really high risk move. I mean, it’s a high risk move for anyone.”
The risk definitely paid off and Rishi is now looking forward to appearing in a new TV series based on the musical comedy film Bonny Chip. He will be starring alongside Rosie Fox and Deborah Jameson, in the story that follows the plight of a single mother and her pals in Northumberland, who are out to save their local chippy from a property developer.
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The makers of Grantchester have expressed their openness to cut a deal with Netflix if the streaming giant wants to buy the show beyond its 2027 contract. It would certainly be a happy place to return to for Rishi, if the suggestion is taken up. He says: “I have loved Grantchester. I will miss sitting with Robson at 6.30am. That is what I am going to miss the most. Grantchester has been a family to me.
“Like anything in life, it’s the people that make it. And being on Grantchester, the group of people, the cast, the crew, all the producers, everything, made it such a lovely, family-orientated kind of working style, which was really lovely.”
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has said that his administration’s rescue mission is on course and yielding the desired results.
The governor stated this on Wednesday while inspecting the state government’s ongoing projects in the Shinkafi Local Government Area.
READ ALSO: Gov Lawal Pledges Investment In Human Capital, Others, Unveils Zamfara Development Plan
A statement by the spokesperson of the governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, disclosed that in Shinkafi, Governor Lawal launched an empowerment programme by the member representing Shinkafi/Zurmi Federal Constituency, Bello Shinkafi.
The empowerment targets 2,000 people who received cars, tricycles, motocycles, and sewing machines, among others.
During the visit, Lawal inspected the Women and Children Welfare Clinic (WCWC) Primary Healthcare Centre in Shinkafi Town, which was awarded for total renovation.
The governor also visited the renovated General Hospital in Shinkafi and the ongoing new Referral Hospital project in the same town.
Governor Lawal launched an empowerment programme by the member representing Shinkafi/Zurmi Federal Constituency, Bello Shinkafi.
Healthcare
At the Emirs’ palace, the governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to capital projects across local government areas.
“We are in Shinkafi today to inspect numerous key projects of my administration and to launch the empowerment program of Bello Hasan, member representing Shinkafi/Zurmi constituency.
“We have fully renovated and equipped the General Hospital in Shinkafi.
“The abandoned hospital now features state-of-the-art equipment capable of addressing the emergency needs of the people,” he said.
He further said that the referral hospital would ease a significant burden for people battling illnesses who are seeking serious medical attention.
“The Referral Hospital will be a game changer not only in Shinkafi LGA but also for the Zamfara North Senatorial Zone.
“The state government acquired the former Bafarawa Institute and will house the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the Zamfara State University. The school is undergoing serious work to complete it for effective utilization,” he added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he will meet Denmark next week as Donald Trump again raises the prospect of gaining control of Greenland. When pressed on NATO concerns, Rubio said the president can use force, but diplomacy is preferred.
As the Mirror launch our campaign to demand no more babies are left needlessly paralysed by a devastating muscle wasting disease, we speak to mum Sam Williams, whose two year old son has SMA Type 1
Martin Bagot and Hannah Britt Features Editor (Advanced Content)
Mum Samantha Williams is backing The Mirror’s campaign to roll out NHS heel prick tests for SMA on the NHS “100%.” Her son Lucian Neale, now two-and-a-half, was diagnosed with SMA Type 1 – which can have a life expectancy of two years without treatment – at seven weeks old.
Soon after, Samantha, 38, and her partner Justin Neale, 39, were told to prepare for the worst and begin palliative care. Miraculously, Lucian survived and can now sit up unaided and stand with the help of leg splints. He can propel his wheelchair forwards, has a few words and is set to attend nursery school in September.
READ MORE: ‘My son’s horror condition is so rare it doesn’t have a name’
But Samantha says if Lucian had received the heel prick test at birth, the outcome would have been very different. “A heel prick test costs the NHS just £5, but would have changed everything for us and for Lucian’s quality of life,” says supermarket worker Samantha, who lives in Sofrydd, Newport, South Wales. She has an older son, Liam, 16, while Lucian’s dad, Justin, a mechanic, also has a 16-year-old son.
“I wholeheartedly back the Mirror’s campaign to roll out the heel prick test,” says Samantha. “The later SMA [classed as life limiting and not terminal ] is diagnosed in a baby or child, the more severe the symptoms.
“Days, even hours, count. The sooner a diagnosis is made, the sooner treatment can begin, which not only saves lives, but halts the muscle degeneration in its tracks. It’s incredibly hard – almost impossible – to regain.
And this is why parents are often told their child will never walk. My son would be living a normal life now if he’d been given that heel prick test. Lucian’s still fed entirely by a feeding machine. His quality of life is down to a £5 test. “
We are launching our campaign after pop star Jesy Nelson, 34, revealed that her seven-month-old twins, Ocean and Story, born in May 2025, had been diagnosed with SMA Type 1, after months of gruelling tests and may never walk.
Samantha says: “When I saw her video, it broke my heart. I’ve been there. But there is hope. We were told we’d have to say goodbye to Lucian, but now he’s two and a half and can stand on his own two feet for a few seconds – he can sit up too. There is help out there Jesy. And while you’ll need to fight for your babies every step of the way, you’re stronger than you think.”
Samantha fell pregnant with Lucian in October 2022, soon after losing another baby, Carson, at 30 weeks, and gave birth by C-section at 37 weeks, following complications including low movement and gestational diabetes. “When nurses were doing their initial checks, he went blue and was rushed down to a paediatric doctor. It happened twice, but we were reassured that Lucian was simply taking a little longer to come into the world,” she says.
Samantha was concerned that he immediately slept through the night, adding that at five weeks, his breathing became odd and he sounded chesty. “Then at five weeks and five days, he stopped moving at all or lifting his head,” she says. A Google search took her straight to SMA.
Rushing him to hospital, he was admitted to have a feeding tube inserted and his DNA was sent for genetic testing. Two weeks later, at seven weeks, a diagnosis of SMA Type 1 was confirmed. Warned by doctors that it was time to give him palliative care, Samantha continues: “He could only move his fingertips. I felt like the bottom dropped out of my world.”
Luckily, Samantha and Justin sought a second opinion. “Back at our local hospital in Cardiff, we were encouraged to try Risdiplam, an at-home oral drug that over-produces the SNM protein to make up for what is missing,” she says. Four days later, Lucian – who could still succumb if he catches a cold or RSV – showed slight signs of movement.
“There was a glimmer of hope for us. We spent 35 days in hospital, learning life support, and how to use Lucian’s feeding and suction machines, his cough assist, and medicines,” she says. “When we were in the hospital, he aspirated and almost died because he cried so much he couldn’t control his saliva.”
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Allowed home in August 2023, that October Lucian had “miracle” gene therapy. “Over the months he started to sit independently. While he hasn’t hit milestones at the right time, he has some words, he goes around in his wheelchair and is a beautiful, happy, cheeky little boy. “There’s no guarantee, but there is hope”
*The Mirror first met Lucian back in December, during our Christmas campaign for Lifelites, an assistive and sensory tech charity that helps children like him play and connect. You can donate to Lucian’s treatment fund HERE
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