 We now know who will be the main running mate for Atikoo Pobokar in the 2023 presidential election. What will Governor Ifan Yokoa bring to the Atikoo presidential campaign? And the fixtures for the forthcoming English Premier League season are out. Sports journalist Monday Thomas joins us to analyze the prospects for the new season. Plus, we have in-depth analysis of today's newspaper headlines. Welcome to the Breakfast on Plus TV Africa. It's a beautiful Friday morning. We're reaching live from our studios in Victoria, Allen Lagos, my name is Kofi Bertel. So we'll start off with a look at trending stories making the rounds in Nigeria today. And of course, yesterday as well, social media space has been a buzz with news of the independent people of Biafra and naming the alleged kidnappers who have been perpetrating evil and harm carnage in the southeastern part of Nigeria. Indeed, the IPOB have been the prime attack or the prime recipient of attacks from the public and suspicion from the public as far as these kidnappings have been constrained. Don't forget, recently, the privilege of Methodist Church in Nigeria, his Eminence Dr. Samuel Kal-Uche had regained his freedom from the den of kidnappers after potting with the handsome amount of 100 million Naira. Well, IPOB is warning criminal elements to resist from using its name to commit crimes in the southeast. The group's a secessionist group that dissociated itself, dissociated itself from the criminals saying it had never been part or behind the ongoing insecurity and criminality in that part of the country. Now, the release of statements signed by the spokesperson or what is called publicity secretary saying that IPOB formed and inaugurated the ESN, that is, the Eastern Security Network to checkmate terrorist activities in the region and to never get involved in evil acts such as kidnapping for ransom. Of course, it also said it's working towards exposing to the public those behind the ongoing criminality in a number of Inugu and Imo states. There's quite a very sad situation, really, really sad because quite a number of people from the southeast, indigents of that place cannot return to their villages without thinking about whether they are safe. We've had people who are from out of the southeast and, you know, indigents of the southeast as victims of the killing, the attacks, the robbing, the kidnapping for ransom that is ongoing there. As well documented, those who Dr. Samo Kaluuche, a prelate of Methodist Church, Nigeria, said where behind his kidnapping, where it's possible for his kidnapping. He claimed that those where fully herdsmen who did that, there have been reactions to this. Of course, the federal government said the Niger police force and the military have not really told us what has been the result of their investigation. The soldiers around the area who had mounted a checkpoint were also accused by the prelate of being complicit in his kidnapping. The operations of these kidnappers there, the Nigerian military came out to say the Nigerian army came out to deny this and said they will be meeting with the prelate to question him so they can find out some more about his claims. Well, IPOB has said before, this is the first time they've denied being behind the criminality in the southeast, that all these started with the IPOB agitation and the confrontation of their members with the Nigerian army and then the formation of this group, the Eastern Security Network pictures emanating on social media of young men dressed in black and red berets, black dress or clothes and clothing and red berets holding guns. And it went on to metamorphose into something that some people were not sure whether they could trust. We began to hear reports of enforcement of Monday sitting at home in states in the south, five states in the southeast and people were not free to move around if they didn't want to observe the sit at home strike or sit at home order by the IPOB. This was all in protest to what was going on there, especially the arrest, detention and trial of their leader, Maze Namde Kano. So this enforcement of the Monday sit at home began to get a bit more violent. Some people were attacked, some were beaten, some lost their lives. And so the suspicion was that IPOB was doing that to make sure people obey their directive to stay at home in the entire southeast on Mondays. Well, they've moved on from that to outright killings, you know, kidnapings. I mean, one of the most publicized one was the killing of the husband of the late Professor Dora Akuni Lee. It was really sad one. The videos went around the internet with his head, I'm sorry to say, blown off. And that really was a worrying one. Well, the group has said before, and they are saying now that they're not behind the killings or kidnapings. The criminality in the southeast, they previously axed the Nigerian army to go after those who are responsible for criminal activities in the southeast. Well, time will tell if anything will come out of the status statement by the indigenous people of Biafra. All right, moving on, a stingy man cannot be a president. It is better for an old, generous man to be president than for a young, stingy man to be a Nigerian president. Those are the words of Reverend Father E.G.K. Mbaka, who is the head of the Adoration Ministry right there in Nugu. This isn't the first time Reverend Fahad Mbaka has had to say some things about former Anambra state governor, Peter Obie. But before we talk some more about this, let's do a flashback and listen to what he said some social media videos emanated from his speech. Yeah, it means you don't want to do anything for God. He had a bad ronkete. OK, come to the loge, I'll quit. Mani, we have a political statement. I'm a fundamental Catholic, even when I couldn't look at me. What's the name of God? He was going to promise me an Anambra. Praise the Lord. In your capacity, and what God has done for you, Governor. Give him money, give Mani a guarantee. What's he going to call here? God, head stinginess. He hasn't done anything, he hasn't done anything. He hasn't done anything. Otherwise, you're going to take away your faith. You're going to take away your faith. You're going to take away your faith. Well, the first clip you saw was an amateur footage, a social media video put out by someone who was at the adoration grounds when Fadambaka said those words. He said that this hunger that is disturbing people and you said you warned him, him referring to Peter Obie, he says, a stingy man that cannot give his people money. You want to die of hunger? Are you people mad? Where is the Holy Spirit? And they said, he asked him, do you want to die of hunger? They said, no. Are you not already suffering in the country today? They said, yes. Now, this is what you can see right here. The second part of what we played was a footage all from the adoration ministry videos that they put out. This is December 2000. That was December 2018. This one right here where a former governor, Peter Obie, who was running me to Atikua, in the 2019 general elections, paid a visit to the ground to greet the father and his people and to attend the bazaar. He was invited to the bazaar to give a speech and, of course, probably use that as a way to gain a support for himself and Atikua, as well as the People's Democratic Party. Father Mbaka asked Peter Obie to make a donation as far as that bazaar was concerned, because he had a project, a church project going on that needed money, funds to complete that project. But Peter Obie insisted that he would reach out to the father later. He wouldn't be making that donation immediately. And the father said, you know what you have to make the donation now, because even if it's just to buy the local and revered kola knots, the oji, just launch an oji here as part of this bazaar. Those who are Catholics or Anglicans or Methodists will know what the bazaar is. It's when the church should ask members to bring goods, they could bring farm items, whatever it is, and donate for the church to auction to members of the church and the public. Use these monies to fund church projects like giving charity to the poor and all that. So Peter Obie insisted he wasn't going to donate any money, but that he would like to see the project that the father was talking about, the priest was talking about. After seeing the project, then he would know what to do. So Father Mbaka wasn't having it. And he said, if you go down like this, I can tell you that this forthcoming election, you will not win. You won't win. You have to do this one because there's a word that God has given me. And that indeed was what he said. You would win the election because you refused to support the work of God, to give to God. Now Peter Obie had said, I'm a fundamental Catholic and I believe in giving and all that. But for the clip that surfaced yesterday, Father Mbaka was quoted, was head saying, it is now that Atikua Pobakari is contesting for president. Now that he is contesting without Peter Obie, it is now that he is serious. It is what he was head saying in the footage. We want somebody that is serious unless Peter Obie comes here, that's to the adoration ground, to kneel if he becomes president or goes on his ministry. He is going nowhere. Mbaka was saying that Obie would have to come apologize or kneel so that what he said will be reversed but for now Obie will not become president of Nigeria. The clip was first posted by an online medium. Anyway, so you know that it remains to be seen if Father Mbaka is a prophecy or curse of Peter Obie that he will never smell the presidency. It as president or vice president will come true or if Peter Obie would close down Father Mbaka's ministry because Mbaka has promised that he would have to leave shut down the ministry if Peter Obie becomes president. Time will tell. But indeed his prophecy that Atikua will not be president if he sticks with Peter Obie came true but there are different aspects to this particular conversation. For instance, you look at the fact of the prophecy and whether that is still at work in Peter Obie's life but also the fact that we clamor for the Southeast to produce the next president. This is someone who has the best chance of a Southeast candidate to be president and you have his own fellow brother who is also from the Southeast attacking him. So maybe lending credits to the widely held view that our brothers and sisters from the Southeast do not know how to come together to actualize the aim of producing Nigeria's next president. Now, fast forward, Bianco Ojukku, the wife of a late leader of Biafra, named Ojukku Emeka Ojukku is also the founder of the Abga Party. She released a statement detailing her experience with Peter Obie in Dallas, United States of America where the Igbo leader, late Ojukku, was attending to his health and she put out a long statement but the summary of this is that as she says indeed Peter Obie is a humble person, he's not stingy but he rather tries to spend on what is necessary so he cannot waste money that could be used for the betterment of other lives. This was in 2009 when Peter Obie was invited to speak at a conference in Dallas, Texas. He came to see Ojukku, bringing a message of goodwill from Dr. Gudok Jonathan who was Nigerian president at the time Obie came with a very small bag and Biafra said she was surprised he came with just one small bag when she saw him because he said to stay where they were staying in their house and to freshen up there. She said when she saw him unpacking his things she saw there was only one casual clothes there and she said, oh Peter, you're not going to be able to talk to these people at this event that you're a special guest of honor. You look at a caliber of guests expected at that event including people like the mayor of Dallas, senators, captains of conglomerates and all that you need to go get a proper dress and appear in top form, these are words. So they managed to find their way to a clothes store where they got Tom Ford's outfit costing $3,900. Obie refused it. He said that it was overpriced and he decided to go for a cheaper outfit that cost about $220. This is what she said Obie did. Now on his way to the airport after his activities in Dallas, Texas he took out an envelope of crisp $100 bills and gave them $3,800. He said this is a balance of the money that I've used to buy the suit. Please, Mrs. Ojiku, use this money for your foundation. Use it for your foundation. I give it to the poor and the needy. It would be better for me to use this money for this than to use it to buy a suit. And of course she detailed those who benefited from the money. Bianco Ojiku mentioned the names of people who indigent poor had some very, very difficult situation and were able to benefit from that money. Interesting one. And of course yesterday Bianco Ojiku was trending on Twitter for obvious reasons. Well, the Catholic Darces of Inugu released a statement, a letter that was shared on social media so everything pops up these days. And of course in that statement they condemned and dissociated themselves from the political utterances of Reverend Fr. E. G. Mbaka against Pito B. Labour Party presidential candidates. The Darces described Mbaka's utterances against to be as unbecoming and divisive. He did in that, in Mbaka's SEMON or what he said, he had to apologize for what he did in 2018. He had to give a public apology. It was recorded all over the internet. No, yesterday what he was seeing saying on that clip was that his apology was not genuine. He said he only did it under the U.S. because the bishop of Federico Darces made him apologize, but he didn't mean it. So the statement, this one that you're looking at signed by Darces' chancellor and secretary, Church Harva warned Mbaka to refrain from making further provocative prophecies or utterances capable of heating up the polity. These are interesting times indeed. It's not the first time the Catholic Darces of Inugu has had to do something about Mbaka. I said he had to apologize in 2018 December to Pito B. after he had tried to make a donation to the project of the Adoration Ministry. He has previously also been in attempt to relocate him, move him out of Inugu by the bishop and that was resisted by his disciples and followers. Instantly he has quite a huge number of followers in Inugu and in the southeast and the Church had to bend to their will. Well, that's the latest as far as his concern. People reacting. Some people sharing pictures online of Obi meeting with the Pope, Pope Francis indeed and saying that Obi knows the Pope so Mbaka should realize the kind of tail he's stepping on. Another picture I saw of Pito B. giving a hundred million arrow to School of Nursing and Medi-British owned by the Catholic Church and this was shared by his followers to say hey he's no Stingerman but a funny part of this is is seeing the resurrection of the Stingerman Association trend on social media. I've gone back to dig up some of the ID cards that were shared on social media a year or two ago when it trended last to say you know what Obi is the chief patron of the Stingerman Association. There you can see pictures of him giving laptops to schools. He does this to schools all over the country not southeastern west. Gives them scholarships and money for them to vet the school and pay for fees, he does that but what people are saying is Obi will only fund projects that have an impact on lives. It's not projects he doesn't know about or doesn't know where the money is going to indeed when he gave that envelope containing dollar bills amounted to 3,800 dollars to Bianca and Peter and Chikomeka or Juku, he said that I believe you would use this money for what I've asked you to use it for so it seems that he is a man who always wants the money spent to go for useful purposes and not to go to private pockets and that may explain why he wanted Baka to show him the project he was talking about. Alright, social media user, he's a problem on Twitter, for his advocacy regarding the end stars we're talking about SegaLink, that's what he's known as well, he has put out a tweet and a lot of people came out attacking him he's not the first person to raise this issue about the supporters of Peter Obi on social media now this is what he put out this is what SegaLink put out he says quote point proven dead on arrival this is not the future of Nigeria, abuse will not be reinforced as a culture citizens have the right to be different and the right to choose without cohesion. Sean the extremist assembly, Nigeria deserves better, he put the hashtag there Sean the extremism UK in Nigeria in Nigeria, you mentioned the British High Commission to Nigeria also showed a picture of social media different social media posts and somebody feeling hurt they say words scar, rumors destroy bullies, kill he now continue with the thread he says he's excellent to be your supporters your supporters have made social media extremely unsafe for citizens he says for citizens expressing their constitutional rights of freedom of expression with cyber bullying targeted harassment threat to life and blackmail this is your brand this is your brand experience to most now this means is what people are experiencing from your supporters and this when they think about you on social media that's what comes to mind there's Nigerians are not being powered by the recently activated cyber terror cells that is threatening to make our election unsafe and put the lives of others in harm's way this is against the country's cyber crime act 2015 part 3 sub 18 highlighting cyber terrorism this is a Nigerian authority should also be aware of the ongoing cyber terrorism being unleashed on citizens by Peter Bee fans with untold extremism which may escalate and further exacerbate our fragile policy this is unhealthy and immediate action must be taken and of course I'm sure he's also reacting to the recently neat build that was recently released or guidelines released by the Nigerian information technology development agency to try and regulate social media sort of guidelines for the social media place now what I think and this is my honest opinion in the struggle to ensure that IPOB actualizes aims the group embarked online and its supporters actively on a campaign of misinformation now this segment this is not all of Peter Bee's supporters but this segment of people on the internet who were pushing the army recipients I'm a journalist and I can show you communication things sent to my DM by people who are saying they were acting on behalf of IPOB all of them on social media these people jumped on the NSAS campaign I have proof they jumped and now they've jumped on the OB train there are a lot of supporters of VTOB on social media who are orderly, who have a gentle conduct but we have a segment and I can prove that it can trace these people to the IPOB agitation the man himself has been worried and he's put out statements to please be calm there are several Nigerians who want to change but this is not how it's done and what they're doing stands to bring a damage to the good cause that Peter Bee has and the prospects of that cause because people who feel hurt and walk away and I would decide to withhold their vote the word to the wise is enough we have to go that's the trending segment on plus TV Africa the breakfast I'll be back with more please stay with us