Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 2nd July, 2025
1. Why It Will Be Difficult For Northerners To Believe Peter Obi’s Single-Term Proposal – IPAC Chairman, Sani
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Yabagi Sani, has said that northerners would find it difficult to believe the single-term proposal of the Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Naija News reports that Peter Obi, during an X Space on Sunday with his followers, expressed readiness to comply with an agreement to be in office for four years if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
However, Sani, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Tuesday, said none of those planning to run for president in 2027, including Peter Obi, is a saint.
Sani said that, going by the principle of rotation of power, the northern region should produce the next president after Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is seeking re-election to complete his eight-year tenure.
The IPAC chair noted that the dynamics of power change when politicians get into office, and it will be difficult for Northerners to believe Peter Obi.
2. Buhari Never Planned To Undermine Tinubu – Garba Shehu
Former presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, has dismissed insinuations that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari deliberately delayed the removal of fuel subsidy to create hardship for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of the official presentation of his upcoming book titled “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience”, Shehu said such claims were not only unfounded but misleading.
Naija News reports that Shehu clarified during a session with journalists, “Subsidy removal was not planned to undermine the President Tinubu-led government.”
Amid growing public anger over economic hardship since President Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy in his May 29, 2023, inaugural speech, some critics have alleged that Buhari intentionally left the tough decision to his successor.
However, Shehu rubbished such narratives, maintaining that Buhari and Tinubu were from the same political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and there was no basis for sabotage.
3. 2027 Coalition: You Are Going To Hear An Announcement, Everybody Is Coming Together – Rhodes-Vivour
The 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has reiterated the commitment of opposition politicians in Nigeria to unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
According to him, the opposition cannot afford to divide their votes in the 2027 election like they did in 2023.
Rhodes-Vivour assured that the coalition towards 2027 is gaining momentum, and in the next few days, a definite position of the opposition coalition will be revealed.
According to him, the forthcoming announcement would also include the party the coalition would run on.
4. We Are Not Going To Be Part Of Any Single-Term Deal For Fubara – Ijaw Youth President
The President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Theophilus Alaye, has submitted that Governor Siminlayi Fubara has the constitutional right to seek re-election in 2027.
According to him, it is the people of Rivers State who have the power to determine who leads them.
Naija News reports that Alaye made the submission in reaction to reports that the currently suspended Governor Fubara won’t be allowed to seek a second term in 2027 as part of the conditions for his reinstatement.
The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide president added that Fubara must not be pressured by any political actor, including his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, into accepting a single term as a condition for his suspension to be lifted by President Bola Tinubu.
Alaye stated that, although speculation about a single-term agreement remains unconfirmed, his group would not be part of the deal and would support Fubara for re-election.
He described any such attempt to prevent Fubara from seeking re-election in 2027 as a form of political oppression.
5. Fuel Subsidy Was A National Scam – Ex-EFCC Boss Bawa
Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, AbdulRasheed Bawa, has described Nigeria’s now-defunct fuel subsidy regime as a national scam engineered through entrenched corruption, regulatory compromise, and institutional complicity.
In an interview with Arise News on Monday, Bawa stated that the decades-old subsidy scheme was deliberately manipulated by powerful interests, including oil marketers, security agencies, and public office holders.
The former anti-graft czar, who served from 2021 to 2023, made the comments while discussing his new book, “The Shadow of Loot and Losses: Uncovering Nigeria’s Fuel Subsidy Fraud,” which details investigations carried out by the EFCC between 2006 and 2011.
He said the EFCC’s investigation revealed how Nigeria’s subsidy payouts skyrocketed from ₦200 billion in 2006 to ₦2.1 trillion by 2011, a surge that raised red flags and triggered multiple probes.
According to Bawa, the scale of the fraud uncovered during his time at the EFCC was unprecedented.
He noted that while not all subsidy payments were fraudulent, the system had become so porous that it enabled powerful actors to exploit regulatory loopholes, with political cover shielding many perpetrators from consequences.
6. ‘PDP Governors Are Being Forced To Join APC’ – Ologbondiyan
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has claimed that the party’s governors are being forced to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naija News reports that Ologbondiyan made this statement against the backdrop of two PDP governors, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, who recently dumped the party for the APC, as well as the peace deal between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and suspended Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that Oborevwori and Eno cited the crisis in the PDP as the main reason for their defection.
However, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Ologbondiyan dismissed the narrative that the PDP crisis triggers defection to the APC.
According to him, governors elected on the PDP platform are being harassed into joining the ruling party ahead of the 2027 election.
Speaking on the Rivers crisis, Ologbondiyan admitted that the resolution of the conflict between Wike, Fubara and Tinubu is a loss to the PDP.
He urged PDP to put aside whatever has happened in Rivers State and focus on ensuring that its governors are not forced to defect to the ruling party.
7. I Am Not Broke – 2Baba Shuts Down Rumours, Brags About Investment
Veteran Afrobeats singer, Innocent Idibia, also known as 2Baba, has boasted that he would not go broke even if he stops doing music.
The singer stated this while addressing speculations that he might be facing financial challenges.
Speaking in a recent episode of the +234 Mzansi Podcast co-hosted by actor Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, aka Nedu, the ‘African Queen’ hitmaker clarified that he isn’t broke as reported.
He explained that he invested his musical earnings into other ventures, emphasising that he can live comfortably with or without doing music.
8. I Don’t Want To Leave Any Properties For My Children – Oga Bello
Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, has vowed not to leave behind houses or properties for his children.
The actor disclosed this in a recent interview with the Nigerian Tribune.
According to Bello, he has already given his children the most valuable legacy, which is education.
The thespian, who is married to two wives and is a proud father of 18 children, said he made a conscious decision early on in life to focus his resources on giving his children quality education rather than accumulating assets for them.
Speaking further, Oga Bello emphasised that he never forced any of his children into acting, adding that they came into it by passion, and he simply supported them on the condition that they did well in school.
9. Why I Rejected Mikel Obi’s €50,000 ‘Bribe’ Ahead Of Beijing Olympics – Siasia
Former Nigeria Under-23 coach, Samson Siasia, said he didn’t name Mikel Obi in his Beijing 2008 Olympics squad because the then-footballer failed to turn up for a qualifier.
Siasia revealed that ahead of the Olympics, he had invited Mikel Obi to feature in the last qualification game, which was against Ghana. But the former Chelsea midfielder turned down the call with the excuse that he was busy with his club.
Fortunately for Nigeria, Siasia and his boys managed to record a 0-0 draw with Ghana, which was enough to qualify the Dream Team for the Olympics.
After Nigeria booked their place in the tournament, Mikel Obi, through his agent, attempted to bribe his way into the Olympic team, according to Siasia. However, the coach refused to accept the €50,000 bribe.
Nigeria went to the Beijing 2008 Olympics without Mikel Obi and finished on the medal table in the men’s football event.
10. Arsenal Announce Arrival Of Kepa Arrizabalaga
Arsenal have completed the signing of Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, earlier today, July 1, after paying just £5 million to their London rivals.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was not able to establish himself at Chelsea even though he cost the club £71.8 million to bring him to London from Athletic Club in 2018.
In the last two seasons, Kepa had loan spells at Real Madrid and then at Bournemouth before agreeing to move to the Emirates Stadium, where he will compete with Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper, David Raya.
Now that Arsenal have triggered Kepa’s release clause and lured him to the Emirates Stadium, the Spanish goalkeeper will serve as a backup to Raya, a role Neto was playing on loan from Bournemouth.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
The post Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Wednesday, 2nd July, 2025 appeared first on Naija News.