Newspaper Headlines: Tinubu campaign working towards alliance with smaller parties

Issues around the elections, especially the threat of insecurity, dominated the cover pages of Nigerian newspapers. Here are the major highlights.

The Punch reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council is planning an alliance with smaller parties in a bid to boost the chances of Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate. The newspaper reports that the federal government has shortlisted 139 oil and gas firms for its gas flaring commercialisation programme.

The Nation says the federal government has said that there is no plan to postpone or cancel the elections scheduled to start on February 25. The newspaper reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) has said no amount of intimidation, harassment and blackmail will deter it from discharging its constitutional duties.

The Guardian says owing to issues of poor logistics, trust, and racketeering, efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to continue with strict enforcement of the naira redesign policy have “come under siege”. The newspaper says the federal government has disclosed plans to establish Nigerian railways and host community’s security committee to curb the incidents of armed attacks on railway infrastructure and passengers in the country.

Nigerian Tribune says Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has met with officials of the British government to discuss issues bordering on economy, security, and immigration. The newspaper reports that CBN has promised to monitor commercial banks to ensure they comply with the directive of loading the new naira notes in their automated teller machines (ATMs).

Daily Trust says criticism has trailed the statement by INEC that the forthcoming elections may face the threat of cancellation and postponement if the insecurity in parts of the country is not addressed. The newspaper reports that President Muhammadu Buhari said he has fulfilled his promises of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, reviving the economy and fighting corruption.

This Day: President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that no individual or group can accuse him of corruptly enriching himself since he assumed office as civilian president on May 29, 2015. The president, according to a release issued on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, who spoke on Monday night at a banquet in his honour in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, said nobody can blackmail him on inexplicable wealth and illicit enrichment while in office.