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Farooq Kperogi Apologizes to Aisha Buhari Over Divorce Claim

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Nigerian journalist and public affairs commentator, Farooq Kperogi, has issued a public apology to former First Lady Aisha Buhari over a controversial Facebook post in which he claimed she divorced the late President Muhammadu Buhari before his death.

In a statement released on Sunday, titled “Apology to Aisha Buhari,” Kperogi described his July 16 post, “Aisha Buhari, Divorce, and Forgiveness Claim,” as a serious lapse in judgment that caused emotional distress to Mrs. Buhari and those close to her.

“Although I absolutely should have foreseen it, I honestly didn’t anticipate the profoundly painful consequences… It’s one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgement I have ever committed in my life,” he wrote.

Kperogi revealed that the claim originated from a trusted source, whose credibility he still maintains. However, he admitted that publishing the information was a mistake, as it was never meant for public release.

“Going public with the information was an error on my part, as not every well-sourced information is for public consumption,” he added.

The professor also disclosed that Sani Zorro, former Senior Special Assistant to the First Lady on Public Affairs, reached out to challenge the claim and conveyed Mrs. Buhari’s position that her marriage to the late president remained intact until his passing.

“I will not contest the particulars… Mrs. Buhari herself has the ultimate authority and right to define the status of her marriage.”

While reaffirming that he believed the information to be credible, Kperogi acknowledged that the harm caused by sharing it far outweighed its significance.

“I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold.”

He concluded by emphasizing that his actions were not motivated by malice or political agendas.

“I sincerely did not intend to harm Mrs. Buhari or execute any personal vendetta,” he said.

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Equatorial Guinea Vice President Announces Cabinet Resignation Over Poor Performance

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Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, announced on Tuesday that the federal executive council has resigned after failing to meet its performance targets.

In a post on X, Mangue, who is also the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, stated that the cabinet had achieved “barely 10 percent” of its goals.

“The rule is simple: public responsibility has to come with results,” Mangue said. “The state puts significant human, material and financial resources at the disposal of the government to address the needs of the population. So the degree of execution achieved is clearly insufficient in relation to the expectations and commitments undertaken.”

Mangue did not specify the exact targets the government had been set.

President Mbasogo, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea since 1979 and is the world’s longest-serving leader, appointed the outgoing government in 2024. Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua, a former longtime head of the National Bank of Equatorial Guinea, was named prime minister and tasked with implementing economic reforms aimed at benefiting the country’s poorest populations.

Despite these efforts, the country’s economy has continued to face a prolonged slowdown, driven by declining oil production, reduced investment, and external shocks. Equatorial Guinea remains heavily dependent on petroleum, with oil and gas accounting for the vast majority of its exports and government revenues.

In a statement, the ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) said the president was dissatisfied with the outgoing government’s management. Mbasogo reportedly criticized the cabinet for failing to implement policies to diversify the economy, particularly in the agricultural sector, which could reduce reliance on imported goods that can be produced locally.

A new government is expected to be appointed in the coming days.

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Kano State Approves N1.5 Billion for Mass Wedding of 3,000 Couples

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The Kano State Government has earmarked N1.5 billion for a forthcoming mass wedding programme targeting 3,000 beneficiaries, officials announced on Monday.

Commander-General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Ibrahim Daurawa, disclosed the funding while briefing journalists on preparations for the event.

“The Kano State Government is to spend N1.5bn on the entire mass wedding programme which will soon be conducted in the state,” Daurawa said.

According to him, the allocation will cover furniture, food items, dowry, clothing materials for the couples, and a N100,000 capital grant to each bride, among other expenses.

The Hisbah Board, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health, has already commenced mandatory medical screening for prospective couples to determine their health status. The screenings include tests for hepatitis, pregnancy, HIV, genotype, and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Daurawa revealed that no fewer than 5,000 people applied for the programme, out of which 3,000 will be selected following the completion of the medical exercise.

He commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for initiating the programme and stated that the governor is expected to announce the date for the mass wedding soon.

The medical screening began on Monday, May 8, 2026, involving prospective couples from 24 of the state’s 44 local government areas.

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Police Probe Alleged INEC Data Leak, Arrest Electoral Officer, Question Wike’s Aide

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The Nigeria Police Force has launched an investigation into the alleged unauthorised access and disclosure of classified voter information from the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), leading to the arrest of an electoral officer and the interrogation of a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Senior police sources confirmed on Wednesday that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) are investigating allegations of database misuse, cyber-related offences and the unlawful disclosure of sensitive electoral records belonging to INEC.

As part of the ongoing probe, an INEC electoral officer, whose identity has not been made public, has been taken into custody. Investigators also questioned Mr. Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

The investigation reportedly followed a petition filed on behalf of INEC, alleging criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation and the unlawful release of classified electoral documents.

The controversy stemmed from social media posts by Olayinka in which he shared screenshots purportedly showing details of a voter registration transfer involving Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.

The disclosure came amid debates over Ike’s eligibility to contest a House of Representatives seat in the FCT following his criticism of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary process.

The posts generated widespread reactions, with many Nigerians questioning how the information was obtained and alleging that it could only have originated from INEC’s restricted voter registration database.

Reacting to the incident on Tuesday, Independent National Electoral Commission denied reports that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database had been hacked or breached. The commission maintained that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by an authorised official.

According to investigation findings, the detained electoral officer allegedly contacted Olayinka through Facebook Messenger before forwarding voter registration documents to him via WhatsApp.

The documents were reportedly intended to show that Emeka Ike’s voter transfer request had recently been initiated and was yet to receive final approval.

Sources familiar with the investigation said Olayinka told investigators he had no prior relationship with the INEC official and was unaware that the documents shared with him were classified.

He reportedly maintained that the electoral officer never informed him that the information was confidential or restricted.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services has commenced a parallel investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the voter information.

Police authorities are said to be considering possible charges against both the INEC official and Olayinka, including criminal conspiracy, cyber-related offences, unlawful disclosure of classified information and actions capable of causing a breach of public peace.

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