Witty Global blog

  Muslim-majority states prefer to pursue neutrality in their foreign policy. Many believe this is because they simply oppose liberal ideology. However, a closer examination of their current strategic foreign Policy reveals a more nuanced, practical and multipolar approach. After over a year of war in Ukraine, some 50 Muslim-majority states from Morocco to Indonesia follow a neutrality policy in the Russia-Ukraine War. They neither support Russia nor Ukraine or its backer, the West. Muslim-majority states are unified in their neutral stance on the war and follow assertive foreign policy paradigms with broader international implications. Muslim-majority states "de-westernize" their international affairs and establish strategic partnerships with other great powers while reducing their dependence on arms suppliers from the US. They also avoid interstate rivalry and interference in the domestic affairs of fellow Muslim-majority states or other authoritarian great powers. This art

  The US has projected itself as the global leader of democracy through its powerful mass media, huge economy and lavish military expenditures. A closer look reveals that the country requires extensive reform before it can claim to be a true democracy. Democratic reform should begin with the presidency. T he presidency of the  United States  has a surprisingly undemocratic selection process. In my previous article on American democracy, I pointed out that the president is not elected by popular vote but by the electoral college and how, over time, the presidential election process has become corrupt.  America's founding fathers feared the presidency's evolution into an imperial office. In fact, that fear was the driving force behind the  separation  of powers into three distinct branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. We traditionally call this the " checks and balances " system. Each component of government can challenge the actions

  The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, says since 1993 when he began gunning for the President seat, he has done so without any controversy, unlike the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, who is contending with alleged drugs and identity scandals. Atiku said this in his response to the preliminary objection filed by Tinubu and APC in reaction to Atiku's petition, challenging Tinubu's emergence as the February 25 presidential election winner. The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to win the election. The commission said that Atiku came second with  6,984,520 votes, while it announced Labour Party's Peter Obi as the second runner-up with  6,101,533 votes. But Atiku, Obi and some other parties rejected the results reported by INEC and heeded the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja with prayers that the election should be nullified. In response to Atiku'

  Nigeria will spend about $1.2 million (about N550 million) on hiring luxury buses that will transport its stranded citizens from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, to Egypt. An official said the citizens would then be airlifted from Egypt to Nigeria. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama , said this while addressing journalists at the State House, Abuja, at the end of Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Nigeria has commenced the evacuation of its citizens from Sudan following the recent fighting between security agencies in the North African country. “Just to provide an update on what is happening about the evacuation of Nigerians in Sudan,” Mr Onyeama said. “You recall that the main challenge we had was, first of all, securing the authorization of the Sudanese government and then security support for the convoy.“We have decided to transport or convey Nigerian to the Egyptian border

  The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has criticised Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu, for not including Igbo people in his transition committee. Mr Tinubu recently nominated 14 people to the committee to assist him in achieving a smooth transition from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to his own on 29 May. In the list of nominees seen by PREMIUM TIMES, no Igbo person was on the committee. Reacting, the Vice-President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Damian Okeke-Ogene, accused the president-elect of being a “tribalist”, according to a  report by Vanguard newspaper. “Igbophobia is in his (Tinubu) veins, and by not including Igbo people in the handover committee, he is only trying to reopen old wounds. He inherited the hatred (Muhammadu) Buhari has against Igbo, especially when the President-elect has said he will continue from where the incumbent president stopped,” Mr Okeke-Ogene was quoted as saying. “He said he will continue with Buhari’s policies, and ou

  The Labour Party has dissociated from a viral letter signed by the self-acclaimed factional national chairman of the party, Lamidi Apapa, asking the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dismiss all cases by the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against the emergence of the All Progressives Congress Bola Tibubu, in the February 25 General election. According to a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the party's acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, it partly read, "We urged the Tribunal in Abuja to disregard the antics by Apapa, who us a suspended Deputy National Chairman of our party. Ifoh, who later spoke on Channels Television's Politics Today programme on Tuesday, alleged that Apapa sought to jeopardise Obi's victory with his action. "Approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by Labour Party candidates across the board is the height of subterfuge and treachery. He maintained that Nigerians would

  A former presidential candidate, Chief Ambrose Owuru, has filed a new suit at the Court of Appeal in Abuja against the May 29 inauguration of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Owuru, who participated in the 2019 presidential election under the platform of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), in the suit, is explicitly asking for an order prohibiting President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from swearing in Tinubu as president come May 29. In the new suit marked CA/CV/259/2023, the plaintiff also wants the court to stop Buhari, AGF and INEC from taking further steps on the 2023 presidential election that produced Tinubu as the winner. Owuru predicated his case against the swearing-in of Tinubu or anybody else as successor to Buhari because he is the constitutionally adjudged winner of the 2019 election and has yet to spend his tenure as required by law. Among others, Owuru insisted that Pres

  PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate Peter Obi; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, amongst many others, have congratulated Muslims across the country on the occasion of this year's Eid-el-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.  Buhari, in his Sallah message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, congratulated Muslims on successfully completing this demanding spiritual obligation. . He said: "We shouldn't forget the essential lessons of Ramadan, which include improving our bond with the underprivileged and poor members of society. The goodwill messages came as Muhammad Abubakar Sahad, president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSIA, said the crescent to mark the end of Ramadan fasting had been sighted. In a broadcast, Sahad, the Sultan of Sokoto, said his office received information on the moon's sighting to end the fasting, announcin

  President-elect Bola Tinubu appointed 13 Nigerians to the Presidential Inauguration Committee before the May 29 ceremony. Tinubu listed the names in a letter to the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Council (PTC). Abdulazeez Yar’Adua, a younger brother of the late President Umar Yar’Adua, will serve as the Head of Security and Ceremonial Parade.  President of Aspire Women Forum (AWF), Zainab Marwa-Abubakar, daughter of ex-Lagos Military Administrator Gen Buba Marwa (retd), will coordinate Pre-Inauguration Dinner and Gala Night. Director of Media and Publicity at the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, will hold the same position on the committee. Former Borno North Senator and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Deputy Chairman Abubakar Kyari is the Director of Finance and Budget. The Executive Director (Business Development) at the Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Stella Okotete, is the Head o

  Saida Mouh, the mother of PSG defender Achraf Hakimi, has finally reacted to the News of her son transferring all his assets to her. Witty News recall that News broke on social media last week that Hakimi dribbled his ex-wife, Hiba Abouk, in their divorce process by putting all his fortune in his mother's name to deny the mother of his two kids a juicy divorce settlement. Reacting to the News, Mrs Saida Mouh suggested nothing was wrong, even if her son's information about his property transfer to her was accurate.  According to her, 24-year-old Hakimi wouldn't be able to get rid of his 36-year-old wife if he didn't take drastic steps. "If he has taken any action to protect himself, I'm unaware of it," Morocco World News quoted Hakimi's mother. "What's the problem if the News is true? If my son does not do this, he will not be able to get rid of that woman [Hiba Abouk]."