The assent to the 2023 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari dominated the cover pages of Nigerian newspapers.
The Punch says no fewer than 6.7 million Nigerians are yet to collect their permanent voter cards in 17 states — less than eight weeks to the 2023 polls. The newspaper reports that the house of representatives has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prevent looters from recovering their loot in the ongoing auction of forfeited assets.
The Nation reports that the presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the endorsement of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Edwin Clark, an Ijaw leader, has further weakened the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Daily Trust says four months after three senatorial seats in Nasarawa, Borno, and Zamfara states became vacant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to conduct by-elections for the parliamentary seats. The newspaper reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the 2023 budget into law.
The Guardian says Buhari signed the 2023 budget despite the “unreconciled and frivolous estimates” contained in the fiscal document. The newspaper reports that Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has clarified his public comment on the endorsement of Obi by Obasanjo, saying it stems from concern for the PDP.
THISDAY reports that the campaign office of Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, described the recent outbursts by Wike as a man “dancing like a village masquerade”. The newspaper says the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has tipped sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, transport, telecommunications and trade as major drivers of economic growth in 2023.
