Shehu Sani, a prominent civil rights activist and outspoken critic, has weighed in on recent political maneuvers in Northern Nigeria, suggesting they may be aimed at thwarting President Bola Tinubu’s ambitions for the 2027 elections.

According to report, it was revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari hosted Kaduna State’s former Governor, Nasir El-Rufai at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, just a day after receiving a visit from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Both El-Rufai and Atiku are reportedly at odds with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in their respective territories.

Sani, who previously represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, expressed skepticism about the motives behind these meetings, suggesting they may be part of a broader effort to consolidate Northern political forces ahead of the next general elections.

He cautioned against potentially divisive tactics and urged consideration of the broader implications for Northern unity.

In a Facebook post on Monday, he criticized the revival of Buhari’s political influence and the mobilization efforts, warning against invoking Arewa sentiment without considering the potential ramifications.

The post partly reads “The recent visits by some prominent Northern politicians to Daura appears to be the Usual Eid homage, but looking deeper and beyond the facade, it’s surreptitiously a new attempt to build a strong northern alliance using ex President Buhari as a rallying point to challenge and evict President Tinubu’s Government in 2027.

“It’s a regrouping of Northern political forces for the next general election.A project that will eventually kiss the dust. They want to resurrect Buhari’s political charm, fanaticism and mobilise the gullible to another hollow and bewildering end. They want to stock up and light up the Arewa sentiment without considering the inferno it would eventually generate.

“The same Buhari that led Nigeria for eight years and left the North Worst than he met it. It’s too early to forget. By the time he left power, poverty and insecurity was at its peak than at anytime in Nigeria’s history. They had power and wasted it; what do they want to do with it again?.

“A Southerner is in power just for one year. It’s too early for the desperate and power hungry northern elite to start plotting. The south never did that to Buhari. Their intended action has the capacity of ruining the democratic process and wrecking the fragile unity of the country when the south is awakened to this reality.

“Their obsession with power is condemnable. Opposition to Tinubu from the point of policies, promises and programs of his administration is a democratic right of any Nigerian. People have the right to speak and criticize the Government.

“But attempts to whip up Northern sentiments to achieve their political ends is a dangerous political experiment and expedition at this material time. No serious southerner challenged Buhari for eight years;these power drunk Northern politicians are dragging the region to a new political journey through a land mine.

Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), has issued a stern warning to multinational companies operating in Nigeria.

She emphasized that companies failing to submit their Technology Transfer Agreements (TTA) to NOTAP for evaluation and registration will soon face severe penalties and potential prosecution.

Dr. Amadiobi delivered this message during a visit to several Information and Communication Technology (ICT) firms in Lagos, accompanied by senior NOTAP management officials.

The purpose of the visit, as stated by NOTAP, was to familiarize themselves with the operations of these companies.

NOTAP, established to oversee the regulation of foreign technology inflows into Nigeria, aims to promote the development of local technologies through the registration of TTAs.

Dr. Amadiobi highlighted the importance of transparency in technology acquisition, stressing that proper evaluation and registration of agreements are crucial to ensure fair contractual terms for Nigerian companies.

Addressing concerns over non-compliance, Dr. Amadiobi pointed out that some companies attempt to evade registration by bundling software and hardware agreements together.

This practice, she noted, undermines the regulatory process and disadvantages Nigerian entities seeking fair technology transfer terms.

While expressing readiness to collaborate with compliant companies, Dr. Amadiobi reiterated NOTAP’s commitment to enforcing strict penalties against those found in violation of the regulations.

She emphasized that such measures are essential to maintain integrity within the technology acquisition sector and to protect the interests of Nigerian businesses.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised serious concerns over an alleged plan by Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State to depose the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III.

In a statement issued on Monday, MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, claimed that there are intentions to unseat the revered religious leader.

This allegation comes on the heels of recent controversy and unrest following the removal of several monarchs in Kano State.

Governor Aliyu recently deposed 15 traditional rulers for various offenses, sparking fears of further actions against prominent figures.

Prof. Akintola asserted that Nigerian Muslims unequivocally reject any attempt to dethrone the Sultan, warning against actions that could destabilize the region.

Akintola said “Feelers in circulation indicate that the governor may descend on the Sultan of Sokoto any moment from now using any of the flimsy excuses used to dethrone the 15 traditional rulers whom he removed earlier.

“MURIC advises the governor to look before he leaps. The Sultan’s stool is not only traditional. It is also religious. In the same vein, his jurisdiction goes beyond Sokoto. It covers the whole of Nigeria. He is the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims.

Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with because the Sultan combines the office of the Sultan of Sokoto and that of the President General of the NSCIA.”

The MURIC boss warned that Governor Aliyu should not force Nigerian Muslims into taking drastic revolutionary measures.

He stated that having a traditional ruler as a leader is a condition Nigerian Muslims accepted long ago as a necessary weakness in the structure they have to live with.

He said, “A military governor, Col. Yakubu Muazu, exposed this soft underbelly when he deposed Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki on 20th April, 1996. Nigerian Muslims will be forced to make a hard decision if Sokoto governors continue to diminish the authority of the Sultan.

“For the avoidance of any doubts, Sultan Muhammad Sa’d Abubakar is not only the Sultan of Sokoto but the Sultan of the Nigerian people. His performance and style of leadership have warmed him into the hearts of Nigerians.

“Nigerian Muslims North and South of the country may be constrained to pick Islamic scholars only as President General of the NSCIA and overall leader of Nigerian Muslims.

“It will be farewell to the leadership of traditional rulers over the NSCIA and an irreversible departure from Sokoto’s priviledged leadership position. But history will not be kind to Col. Yakubu Muazu and Ahmed Aliyu for ruining the chances of Sokoto.

“Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, the third time is enemy action. If the deposition of a Sultan and NSCIA leader happens a second time, Nigerian Muslims will not allow the embarrassment to happen a third time.

“MURIC reiterates its call on the Sokoto State House of Assembly to either repeal or review the state’s chieftaincy laws by adding the phrase ‘except the Sultan of Sokoto’ to Section 6, Cap 26 of the Laws of Northern Nigeria which empowers the state governor to depose the emirs including the Sultan.

“We urge Northern elites and Islamic scholars based in the North to intervene before it is too late. This is the time to lobby the Sokoto State House of Assembly and the governor himself.

“If the chieftaincy laws of Kano State can be repealed within 24 hours, nothing stops that of Sokoto State from being reviewed in favour of immunity for the office of the Sultan in a single day to save Nigerian Muslims from humongous embarrassment.”