Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, the wife of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has issued an emotional, high-stakes petition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Flanked by El-Rufai’s other wife, Aichatou, Asiya spoke passionately to journalists at her Abuja residence. Her message was clear: after the immense personal and political sacrifices her family made to secure Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election, the current treatment of her husband feels like a bitter betrayal.

Addressing the President directly, Asiya recalled her active role on the campaign trail, noting that she traveled to every corner of Kaduna State to rally support for Tinubu, while her husband stood firmly by the President’s side.

“Is this what our family deserves?” she asked. “The ball is in your court, Mr. President. All these can stop if you say a word. We believe that you are a father and we know you can empathise.”

The family’s appeal is heavily driven by deteriorating conditions surrounding El-Rufai’s detention. According to Asiya, the former governor deals with high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels, yet he is reportedly being denied proper access to medical care.

The situation escalated following the arrest of El-Rufai’s personal physician, Prof. Bello Abubakar, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Asiya alleged that orders from “above” have barred the doctor from seeing anyone, questioning who exactly is pulling the strings.

She described the restrictions as a form of “psychological warfare” designed to traumatize the family and break her husband’s spirit.

Former Kano State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) 2027 vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has pushed back against assertions made by former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff regarding the party’s electoral prospects in Northern Nigeria.

Kwankwaso strongly criticized Sheriff’s recent claim that the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lacks a strong voter base in the region, calling the remarks highly inaccurate.

Unwarranted Representation of Northern Voters

In a statement released few hours ago , Kwankwaso expressed his disappointment over Sheriff’s Monday appearance on Channels Television. He suggested that Sheriff’s extended hiatus from the political spotlight had clearly failed to sharpen his political assessment.

“It is curious that he has appointed himself spokesperson for the Northern masses,” Kwankwaso stated, emphasizing that Sheriff holds no authority or mandate to speak on behalf of voters in the region.

US President Donald Trump recently sparked reactions some hours ago after describing Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj as “so hot” while introducing her at a White House luncheon.

Minaj was among the guests at the Rose Garden event, where Trump took a moment to commend the award-winning musician for her talent, popularity, and public support.

While introducing the rapper, Trump referred to her as a respected figure and praised her personality before making a remark about her appearance.

“We also have a woman who is respected and quite attractive. She is a wonderful friend of mine. I wouldn’t say conservative; I’d say common sense,” Trump said.

He continued by applauding Minaj’s character and career, describing her as someone admired by many.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has accused former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, of abusing a court-approved medical visit while in the Commission’s custody, describing the incident as a clear violation of a court order.

The Commission also announced that El-Rufai’s personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, has been arrested and taken into custody for allegedly making false statements, as the anti-corruption agency vowed to bring the alleged breach before the court.

This is contained in a statement issued earlier today by the Commission, the Kaduna State High Court had fixed July 6, 7, and 8, 2026, for the accelerated hearing of the criminal charges pending against El-Rufai.

However, on the first day of the hearing, the former governor did not appear before the court.

The prosecution informed the court that when ICPC officers prepared to convey El-Rufai from custody to the courtroom, he declined to accompany them, insisting that he wanted to consult his personal physician before attending the proceedings.

The Commission stated that the prosecution further informed the court that no prior request had been made to the ICPC for such a medical consultation.

According to the statement, when El-Rufai was questioned by the Commission’s medical doctor regarding his health condition, he reportedly stated that he had no immediate medical complaints but explained that his wife, Asia El-Rufai, who is also one of his legal counsel, had requested that he see his personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar.

Following arguments by both parties, the Kaduna State High Court adjourned the matter until July 15, 2026, to hear El-Rufai’s application seeking the recusal of the trial judge and to await the directive of the Chief Judge of Kaduna State on a pending petition requesting the transfer of the case.

A Chinese court has sentenced a former senior government official to death after finding him guilty of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan (about $325 million) in bribes over three decades, marking one of the country’s biggest corruption cases in recent years.

The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court in eastern China handed the death sentence to 69-year-old Yang Youlin, a former official in Nanjing, after convicting him of bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering.

oyogist.com gathered that Yang served in various government positions in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023, where he allegedly used his influence to help individuals and companies secure engineering contracts, land transfers and financing approvals in exchange for huge sums of money and valuable gifts.

Sources reports that the court said Yang’s crimes involved more than 2.2 billion yuan in illicit gains and described his offences as “extremely serious,” adding that they caused “exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people.”

Despite cooperating with investigators, pleading guilty and expressing remorse during his final statement, the court ruled that the gravity of his crimes made him ineligible for a lighter sentence.