TB Joshua: How he died, his last moments By Precious Igbonwelundu

Prophet Temitope Joshua, founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) was conducting a church service when he suddenly felt uncomfortable, The Nation has learnt. The popular prophet, sources said, passed away around 2am, hours after he walked to his apartment midway into the service, presumably to get some rest. Born on June 12, 1963, Prophet TB Joshua died six days to his 58th birthday. It was gathered that Joshua had walked out of the church to his apartment when he felt uncomfortable during the service that commenced around 6pm on Saturday. Although it was not clear at what point he left the hall, The Nation learnt he had officiated the service for some hours before he stepped out. His aides and members, it was gathered, thought he was going for a quick break but became anxious when he didn’t return after a long time. The Nation gathered that when he did not return, his aides went to check on him but found him in an uncomfortable/unusual position. A former aide and close family friend of the late cleric told The Nation close relatives and friends were protecting and consoling his wife. Read Also: BREAKING: Popular cleric T.B. Joshua dies at 57 Although the cause of death was not disclosed, the source said the entire place is to be “sanitised”. According to him, the prophet had asked most of his aides to work from home as a because of COVID-19 pandemic. “Those who were left with him were mostly some Britons, a few personal aides, who lived in the premises. “I got a call around 2am that Senior Prophet was dead. I had to quickly get in touch with his family and it was confirmed. ” We do not really have details now but I can tell you he was ministering when he suddenly took ill and left the church to rest,” he said. Confirming Joshua’s death, Lagos Police Commissioner (CP) Hakeem Odumosu said he was officially pronounced dead by a hospital around 3am. Odomuso said: “It is true he is dead. I do not know the cause of his death yet. But the information we have is that he was conducting service, along the line, he felt uncomfortable, walked to his apartment himself and never came back. “His people thought he probably wanted to rest or refresh but when they didn’t see him after a long while, they went in search of him and found him in an unusual position. “The service started in the evening. But it was around 3am that he was pronounced dead by a hospital.” The church said Joshua’s last words to his members were “watch and pray.” He was said to have also reminded them there was time for everything before he left the church hall.

How Boko Haram Leader, Abubakar Shekau Died—ISWAP BY SAHARAREPORTERS.

ISWAP confirmed that Shekau blew himself up after refusing to surrender following the invasion of his hideout The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has confirmed the death of Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad faction of the group. ISWAP confirmed that Shekau blew himself up after refusing to surrender following the invasion of his hideout on May 19, 2021. This was contained in a message from Abu Mus’ab Habeeb Bin Muhammad Bin Yusuf al-Barnawi, born Habib Yusuf, leader of the terrorists. According to HumAngle, al-Barnawi, in an address on Friday, described Shekau as “the leader of disobedience and corruption.” He said Shekau’s fighters rejoiced over his death, adding that the former terrorist leader, who took over after the death of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, was apprehended “in the most humiliating manner.” Speaking in Hausa, al-Barnawi said: “This was someone who committed unimaginable terrorism. How many has he wasted? How many has he killed? How many has he terrorised? But Allah left him alone and prolonged his life. When it was time, Allah set out brave soldiers after receiving orders from Amirul Muminin [leader of the believers].” ISWAP, which broke away from Shekau’s Boko Haram faction in 2016, disagreed with the late extremist leader over his excessive use of force, especially on Muslims in areas under his influence. He stated that the interim leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) ordered them to take action on Shekau for deviating and killing “believers.” ISWAP fighters then took their arms, travelled through the Sahara, went into Shekau’s enclave, and engaged in a gun battle with his followers. “Shekau preferred to be humiliated in the afterlife than getting humiliated on earth. He killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive,” he said.

PDP calls for calm over suspension of chairman who criticised Obaseki

Governor Obaseki has been accused of giving preference to former associates in APC in his political appointments. Harrison Omagbon, the acting state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, has called for calm among party faithful, following the suspension of the state chairman, Tony Aziegbemi. Mr Aziegbemi was suspended by the PDP after he accused the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, of marginalising the PDP in his political appointments so far and also making moves to sack the party structure in the state. The acting chairman, Mr Omagbon, said in a statement on Thursday in Benin that his task is to unite the PDP in Edo. “My task as acting chairman will be to unite our party and ensure that the unity which our electoral victory bestowed on us is sustained and enlarged to the glory of God,” he said. He said that the suspension of Mr Aziegbemi was to allow for proper investigation into the allegations against him. “Following the recent developments in our great party, I wish to appeal to our teeming members and supporters to first accept our profound regret for the uproar of the last few weeks, as well as the recent developments at the party secretariat. “On behalf of the state working committee, I am deeply sorry. “However, we cannot wish away our party’s sanctity, integrity and pride on the altar of parochial sentiments. “That is why we have set up a committee to investigate and unearth the facts of these allegations,” he said. Mr Omagbon added: “My dear party faithful, we are at a very auspicious time in our democracy. “It is on record that our governor is counted among those delivering the dividends of democracy to the people. “We cannot engender a party culture of corruption and flagrant disregard for the wishes of the people.” The suspended PDP chairman, in a letter he jointly signed with the party secretary in the state, Hillary Otsu, accused Mr Obaseki of marginalising the PDP in his political appointments so far and also making moves to sack the party structure in the state. The duo said the letter was written on behalf of the “expanded State Working Committee of the party”. Mr Obaseki had defected from his former party, the All Progressives Congress, to the PDP where he contested and won the election for his second term. “Edo people voted for PDP and Godwin Obaseki to deliver the dividends of democracy to them. “If he wishes to appoint only his friends and former APC colleagues in his cabinet and sundry positions and leave out the legacy PDP members, so be it,” said Mr Aziegbemi in the letter which was sent to the national leadership of the PDP. (NAN)

Things fall apart in Edo PDP, as Obaseki, party’s alliance hits bump By Ozioruva Aliu

• Chairman suspended, gov takes over party WHEN Governor Godwin Obaseki and many of his supporters defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the September 19 2020 governorship election in Edo State due to his disqualification by the APC, some political analysts had opined that it was a marriage that may not last but many people did not believe that crisis would erupt so soon; barely eight months after the election which Obaseki won. As of today, Obaseki has not been able to form a government but the announcement by the Secretary to State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, on Wednesday, of the appointment of Hon Osaigbovo Iyoha as the governor’s Chief of Staff tactically closed the door against any of the members he met in the PDP being part of his kitchen cabinet. Iyoha has been a very close ally as he was the first member in the state House of Assembly then to publicly declare his support for Obaseki’s election in 2016. He already has his dependable deputy, Hon Philip Shaibu, and Ogie who has been the strategist operating behind the scenes for the governor. The leadership of the party in the state is in disarray with the purported suspension of the state Chairman, Hon Tony Aziegbemi, and a three-man committee set up to investigate allegations against him. His deputy, Harrison Omagbon, has been asked to take his place as Acting Chairman. Even though Azigbemi has denied being removed from office, he agreed that there are issues in the party that necessitated the setting up of a committee. To confirm the crisis in the party, Omagbon issued a statement as Acting Chairman, calling on members to remain calm and promised he would reunite the state PDP. Observers believe that the PDP in Edo is missing people like the late former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, who could rally all the divides together but the party, as it is right now, has several warlords across the three senatorial districts holding unto their areas of strength and struggling to outdo one another. The crisis in the party is multifaceted: members are not united, and there are those who call themselves original members of the PDP who are not united and then the governor who came with his supporters from the APC. Sunday Vanguard gathered that Obasek has decided to move ahead with strategies to take over the party where the original members may have to “bow to him” before they can retain their membership of the party. Genesis The crisis in the party is believed to have started shortly after the election when some leaders of the party believed that they should have a say in the governor’s appointments. Some of the leaders, it was gathered, told Obaseki to immediately dissolve the Board of Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) and that of Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) but they were said to have been miffed when the governor declined and told them that he was planning to extend the tenure of the EIRS Board. The governor also reportedly requested that as the leader of the party, the leadership of the PDP from the ward to the state level be dissolved and a mini congress conducted to infuse his members who came with him from the APC, particularly the former state Chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, and members of his State Working Committee (SWC) but this was also rejected by the leaders of the PDP. This led to some of them instituting a court case in Abuja to stop the governor from tampering with the leadership of the party. Obaseki since then reportedly reduced his interaction with the leadership of the PDP and it became a case of the governor working with two sets of SWCs; Ojezua and his team that came from the APC and the elected PDP SWC headed by Hon Tony Azegbemi. Meeting About three wks ago, Obaseki met with leaders who it was alleged he personally selected that included Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, former Deputy Governor, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi and Aziegbemi where he was said to have informed them of his plan to dissolve the PDP SWC and call for fresh congresses. Reactions Irked by this decision, the SWC met and wrote a strongly worded letter to the national leadership of the party, protesting the plot to dissolve leadership of the party and also frowned at the delay in the appointment of commissioners. In the letter to the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, and signed by Aziegbemi and the State Secretary of the party, Hillary Otsu, which they said was part of the resolution passed in the emergency and expanded SWC meeting of the party, they frowned at the state leaders’ meeting where it was resolved that the leadership of the party at all levels be dissolved. They also alleged that the said meeting was called to ambush the state Chairman of the party who they said was in the minority with only three leaders of the party as against ten who came with Obaseki. They alleged that the governor was being misled by three categories of people in the party which they identified as aspirants for 2023 and 2024 elections, members of the party who lost during the party’s congresses and alleged godfathers they said came with the governor from the APC to the PDP who they said have refused to register with the party in their wards. In a swift reaction, Obaseki summoned a meeting that had Aziegbemi and members of his SWC and Ojezua and his team where the governor was said to have made some revelations that the meeting he called earlier was suggested by a high profile leader of the party (name withheld) and that the political figure was the one who suggested most of the names to be invited for the meeting but, shockingly, the same person did not show up on D-Day and even allegedly encouraged some of the persons he suggested not to attend. The governor was said to have informed the meeting that his intention was to make the PDP strong and that the people at the grassroots must be carried along and be part of decision making rather than the existing style where decisions are breathed down to followers. Sunday Vanguard source said, “After the governor explained his intentions, they asked for time to suggest a way forward and the governor gave 48 hours for that to be done. He also explained to them that himself, his deputy and the SSG were in the meeting he held earlier by virtue of their position and not there to represent any interest”. Plot However, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the governor may have concluded plans to take over the party irrespective of the position of those opposed to him using two strategies. The strategies, it was learnt include his appointment by the national leadership of the PDP to organise e-registration of members of the party nationwide. Sunday Vanguard gathered that he has appointed coordinators across the 18 local government areas of Edo and many of them are said to be LGA chairmen who came with him from the APC to handle the planned e-registration. He is also said to have set up a committee largely made up of those who came with him from the APC to suggest people he would need in his cabinet. In a related development, which seemed to be part of the plot to take over the party, a congress was called in Egor local government area by loyalists of Obaseki and suspended the Chairman of the party in the council, Manfred Ekundayo, and Secretary, Moses Osarumwense. Addressing members of the party at the party secretariat near Five Junction in Uselu, Assistant Secretary of the PDP in Egor, Ikponmwosa Eguavon, announced the former Deputy Chairman of the PDP, Ayo Efosa, as the Acting Chairman of the party in the LGA and pledged their support for Obaseki. A statement signed by eight members of the party executive, including Efosa, Eguavon, Auditor of the party, Dickson Obazee, three ex-officio members Hon Paul Osaremwenda, Alhaji O. Ebomwonyi and Funmi Usiabulu including Idemudia Stanley and Ekhator Stanley, who are both ward chairmen, accused the suspended officials of not allowing the national leadership of the party to resolve the crisis in the PDP in the state among other issues. The statement passed a vote of confidence on Obaseki, Shaibu, Ogie and the PDP Co-ordinator in Egor, Chief Odion Olaye. Sunday Vanguard gathered that with the success in Egor, the same action is to take place across other local government areas in the state and this was done in Akoko- Edo local government area where the meeting was hugely successful in line with Obaseki’s intentions. It was reliably gathered that loyalists of the governor held meetings in several local governments few days ago with only one agenda which is to redefine their relationship with the PDP. Opinions When Sunday Vanguard contacted the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, on the development, he said the issue had not been brought to his attention and he would not want to comment on what had not been brought before his office and referred us to the state chairman. But a member of the party, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “This crisis is multifaceted; the original PDP members are not united, they are fighting themselves and then you have the governor and those who came with him and are bent on taking over the party. “This thing is being caused by lack of leadership in the PDP. “The governor is already working with Abuja even though the issue that the governor is the leader of the party is not in the Constitution of the PDP. “It was the making of former President Obasanjo but the national leadership can decide to wade into the crisis and they are most likely to be with the governor “The end result might be the governor tampering with the party executives or quasi-harmonisation that may not last.” A leader of the party and former Commissioner for Information in the state, Hon Charles Idahosa, said the best option for the party was harmonisation. He said the problem in Edo PDP is “a group of people who got used to not winning elections”. According to him, such people use party structure to collect money from neighboring state governments and share among as they are not really interested in government. “It is a small clique holding to the party to ransom. How will you say that the governor is the leader of the party and then you insist that you will not harmonise? Just like me, I will be looking at you people, I cannot even produce a councilor in my ward because I don’t have anybody in the ward executive”, Idahosa said. “There is a precedent, Edo is not the first. Governor Aminu Tambuwal moved in Sokoto, they harmonized. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue moved and they harmonized” In the same vein, the senator representing Edo South, Matthew Uroghide, called on members of the SWC to apologise to the governor. Speaking at a stakeholders meeting he had in his residence, the senator said his zone, in a three-point communiqué, accepted the leadership of Obaseki without reservations. According to the senator, Edo South PDP expressed implicit confidence in Obaseki and his ability to pilot the affairs of the party in the state and also handed over the entire structures of the PDP to him. “And three, we directed all members of the State Working Committee, SWC, who are from Edo South, to go and append their signatures to the letter of apology to the governor over the letter the SWC sent to the national body”, Urhoghide added. He warned party members to abide by the constitution of the PDP which forbids members from making public critical comments about the policies and actions of government controlled by it. He said, “Those who decamped from the APC were once PDP members. It is foolhardy to say you don’t want people to join you. We cannot bring down our own party that is in government. “If Chief Anenih were to be alive today, he would have been the happiest man. It took us 12 years to get back to power in the state and we have a duty to sustain the government and the party”. Vanguard News Nigeria

BREAKING: Twitter deletes Nnamdi Kanu’s tweets By Idowu Bankole

Giant microblogging site, Twitter has reportedly deleted tweets made by the Supreme leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for violating rules of the bird app. The post, according to theCable was made on Kanu’s Twitter handle on June 2, was no longer available as of Saturday evening. Reports claimed that the tweet was made in reference to the federal government’s decision to take action regarding attacks on security formations in the southeast, which have led to the killing of several security operatives.

Reports have it that, In the post, Kanu had threatened government officials and said “any army they send to #Biafraland will die there. None will return alive even if it means sacrificing my people”.

This latest development was coming on the heels of a suspension recently announced by the Federal government of Nigeria, through the minister of Information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Lai Mohammed who announced an indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria claimed that the Social media Networking site was inciting violence and promoting fake news in tyhe country, claims that have long been refuted by many Nigerians and the suspension widely condemned in the international community. The presidency, through Garba Shehu also reacted to the development claiming that the federal government merely wishes to safeguard Nigerians from negative social media influences, hence its decision to ban twitter operations in the country. Garba Shehu had said, ”A terrorist organisation (IPOB) poses a significant threat to the safety and security of Nigerian citizens. ”When the President said that they will be treated “in a language they understand,” he merely reiterated that their force shall be met with force. Vanguard News Nigeria

SPECIAL REPORT: Oshiomhole's "Clever by Half" Felicitation.

By Publisher Although many had failed to realize early, that the disgraced former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole was a fitting example of a man that is too smart for his own britches, but few close allies discovered early that this deceptive smartness might be his achilles heel. As it is popularly said, pride goes before a big fall, and so as it was, Oshiomhole’s rise from grass to grace and back to grass is squarely a reflection of his conceited overconfidence and unyielding self importance. Right from his haydays when he was the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), to his sudden position as the governor of Edo State, he succeeded with his attitude of ‘Mr’ know all. He soaked himself in full overclever notions, and this has finally brought colossal harm to his twisted ego and image. Sadly, but fortunate for Edo people and Nigerians at large, any piece of advice now, is akin to pouring water into a basket. It just too late for the once upon a ‘maradona’ to relaunch himself as the ‘masses man’. A great opportunity had just slipped through his fingers! For those that had the opportunity to work with Oshiomhole, they can attest to the fact that the ex governor resides inside inconsistency. He is the perfect example of ‘do what I say’ and ‘not what I do’. Any leader, must always ask his or herself, “did I do what I said I would, and have I done it consistently?” Reputation on the other hand is interconnected and related to truth. The underbelly of a poor reputation is that one become a co-conspirator in human failure because people who relied on you are damaged by your ethical breaches. For those of us who were close to Oshiomhole when he first made political contact with Edo State, we gave ourselves the onerous assignment to groom him on the ethics of consistency with his make believe values. We also resounded the need to guard his relationships with others. We coached him to speak truth (no matter the circumstances) and to leave a legacy of his truth through his teachings to us (his apostles). When the malady called Edo People’s Movement (EPM) started, I boasted to political pundits that the promoters of the now defunct pressure group would be dumped by Oshiomhole who was their commander-in-chief. My thoughts were that the ex labour leader was too grounded in political maneuvering to know when to eject himself for safty. That was not to be! Some of us watched in utter amazement how a seamingly smart diminutive strategist gradually traveled to the ‘land of no return’. In the end, Oshiomhole had suffered the worse political defeat, so much more than what he inflicted on his political rivals in ten years. In the heat of battle between him and Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the octogenarian had hinted that, the APC would be enmeshed in crisis at various levels if Oshiomhole is allowed to have his way. We all know how he managed to maneuver his way to become the national chairman and how he unsettled the party, mainly with absence of internal democracy, imposition of candidates at elections and opaque leadership. With his advent, APC lost the primary stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which the party won under Oyegun. The APC had taken Adamawa, Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Zamfara, among others from the PDP in 2014. He managed to keep Kano and Osun in very suspicious circumstances. Majority of these states were lost on account of Oshiomhole’s highhandedness and dictatorial leadership style. Some commentators had said that the “…Bayelsa episode was the last Oshiomole’s opponent in APC would take in his strings of misadventures.” Despite all his failings, he refused to learn from the past, and embarked on his last fight and a very rancorous route, to fight his successor – Obaseki over the control of Edo politics. He had his way and denied the governor a re-election ticket and forced him to join the PDP. By this decision, Oshiomhole took his gambling habit too far, and the move incurred him more opposition from APC leaders. In all his atrocities against Edo people, nay Nigerians, Oshiomhole’s major error was his orchestrated disqualification of Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki as candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2020 gubernatorial election. Basking in his usual boisterous ‘nerveless’ attitude, he boasted the he was the ‘supreme court’ and that even if Obaseki was cleared by the screening committee he had handpicked and briefed, he was ready to annul their recommendation. His naked threat came at the beehive of Obaseki’s high ratings, both at the national and local levels. That decision put Edo State on reverse gear ignited the political flame that has already consumed many of his blind followers. Oshiomhole’s decision to show uncut political power brought redicle to Edo State and put a hitherto referenced ‘oshioquake’ to abysmal level. Among his many sins that needs atonement is the palaver in Edo State House of Assembly. His hurried decision to control the assembly led to the refusal of 14 members elect to present themselves for inauguration on June 17, 2019. Today, only 10 members of Edo State House of Assembly are deciding the fate of 24 Constituencies. Sadly, my Constituency (Ovia North East) is caught in Oshiomhole’s retrogressive decision. Let us fast track to post election litigation – from the Federal High Court to Appeal Court and finally, the (REAL) Supreme Court. We, his foot soldiers had waited and prayed that he will seize the opportunity of his final decimation by the justices to apologize to Edo people and ask for their forgiveness. Expectedly, Oshiomhole missed a once in a lifetime opportunity to rebound. His handlers decided otherwise to construct a very half hazard letter of congratulation to his successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki. What this simply means is that he has failed to accept his fault and appreciate the pain and retrogression he brought upon the people of Edo State. The audacity of the so-called letter prompted this conversation. In his letter, he lauded the Supreme Court and also congratulated Obaseki. He said nothing to us, the common man that went through horrendous pain and stress when his onslaught lasted. Oh my God! Certainly, this is the height of insensitivity and skewed bloated ego!! Like a convict, Oshiomhole and his handlers failed to use the opportunity of allocutus, to plead for our leniency. His very unrepentant words that shot him to infamous fame, has eventually resigned him to the deplorable corner of history. Sarcastically, Mr. Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole wrote: “…as I had repeatedly reminded you during our several meetings, our relationship has through the years developed beyond being friends to being brothers of different parents. “Whatever happened is unfortunate and I believe God has reasons for everything. “I have put all behind me and moved on. As I have consistently advised, please be magnanimous in victory. You are the Governor of all Edo people regardless of political leanings.” There is so much impunity in this letter to warrant any forgiveness. The content is still replete with Oshiomhole’s tough talking stance that brought so much trouble to his party, the APC. Suffice to say that his latest blunder is a reflection of his new advisers. Apart from Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu, former Deputy Governor to Oshiomhole, 99% of the EPM members are those that we defeated on April 14, 2007 on our way to form government in November 12, 2008. He lost the services of majority of the planners and executors, or if you like, Oshiomhole’s foot soldiers when he sailed off to his political wilderness. The likes of Rt. Honourable Philip Shaibu who was the ground commander of our youthful volunteers, Osarodion Ogie Esq who was the planner-in-chief, my good self (Orobosa Omo-Ojo JP), late Prof Omo Omoruyi, Don Omorodion and others that were spread across the state are not around him to moderate his atrocities. Being one of his (true) friends, I have restrained myself not to write him off but it is yet to be seen how our once beloved masses man will change his present definition of a metaphor of political failure to that of a labour leader who came, saw and conquered. midwestherald.com.ng

Prophet T.B. Joshua is dead at 57 by MARIAM ILEYEMI

Prophet T.B. Joshua is dead at 57 Mr Joshua reigned for several decades as a fiery preacher on television, using his platform to attract a large number of Christians from across the world. Temitope Balogun Joshua, a frontline Nigerian preacher and televangelist, has died, family sources told Peoples Gazette. Mr Joshua, the founder of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), died in Lagos on Saturday evening shortly after concluding a programme at his church, The Gazette learnt from family sources who did not want to be quoted as an official statement was still being prepared. He was 57. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed to The Gazette, but family sources said his remains had been deposited at the morgue and an autopsy would be performed forthwith. Mr Joshua reigned for several decades as a fiery preacher on television, using his platform to attract a large number of Christians from across the world. Emmanuel TV, run by Mr Joshua’s SCOAN, is one of Nigeria’s largest Christian broadcast stations, available worldwide via digital and terrestrial switches. In 2014, his church was at the centre of a multi-national investigation following a section of his church headquarters in Lagos collapsed, leaving dozens killed and many more injured. Mr Joshua denied allegations of negligence and a trial over the incident was still underway prior to his demise.