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Zimbabwe’s Mugabe Marks 93rd Birthday in Opposition Area

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Robert Mugabe
  • Zimbabwe’s Mugabe Marks 93rd Birthday in Opposition Area

Matopo Hills, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is celebrating his 93rd birthday amid granite hills where ancient spirits are said to dwell, defying calls to resign after nearly four decades in power in a region known for opposing the man who says he’ll run again in 2018 elections.

Thousands of government supporters, some wearing clothing adorned with Mugabe’s image, converged in Matabeleland on Saturday for a birthday bash and show of strength for the ruling ZANU-PF party, beset by squabbling in the past year as the elderly president weakened and factions, one including his wife Grace, sparred ahead of an expected power vacuum.

Mugabe, a former rebel leader who took power after independence from white minority rule in 1980, declared a few days ago that most Zimbabweans think nobody can replace him. The longevity of the world’s oldest head of state is a source of heartache for Zimbabwe’s splintered opposition and uncertainty for investors, leaving the economically struggling country in limbo.

Zimbabwe’s challenges include a strike by doctors over working conditions that has forced army and police doctors to deploy in public hospitals. Conditions at hospitals were already deteriorating because of poor staffing and low supplies of medicine. The government has endured other crises, rejecting decades of opposition and Western allegations about human rights violations, voting irregularities and economic mismanagement.

Mugabe, who turned 93 on Tuesday, has been serenaded at a palace cake-cutting by singers who wished him “many more” birthdays. Air Zimbabwe, the cash-strapped national carrier, and other entities took out birthday notices in pro-government media. Dancers and musicians performed ahead of Saturday’s party at a school in Matopo Hills, on the outskirts of Bulawayo city with caves and rock art dating back thousands of years.

The region, whose mystical-looking rock formations have been the setting for religious ceremonies, is also associated with the often violent fissures of pre- and post-colonial Africa. British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes is buried there. It is also the site of mass graves of some of the thousands of Ndebele people killed in the 1980s by a North Korea-trained military unit loyal to Mugabe, a member of the rival Shona ethnic group.

The memory of that episode prompted some anti-government activists to denounce the selection of Matopo Hills for Mugabe’s birthday party, though ruling party figures said it will promote tourism in the area.

Mugabe’s state security minister at the time of the killings, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is now a vice president and possible successor. Some ruling party members who support him have criticized Grace Mugabe, a leader in a rival faction who recently said her husband should run as a “corpse” if he dies before the next elections.

Mnangagwa is also sticking to the official script that Mugabe is the only option for now, denouncing any “mad young people” in the ZANU-PF party who want him to oust Mugabe. Such dissenters, some born after independence in 1980, should be expelled from a party with “a liberation struggle history,” he said, according to the state-run Herald newspaper.

The ruling party, Mnangagwa said, “will rule forever” and will vote for Mugabe in next year’s elections.

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Why I’II Never Support Peter Obi Again – Doyin Okupe

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Doyin Okupe

A former Director-General of the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential campaign, Doyin Okupe, has declared that he would never support the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, in any of his political ambitions again.

Okupe, who had recently resigned his membership of the LP and withdrew his backing for the former LP’s presidential flagbearer, expressed displeasure at Obi’s remarks on economic situation in the country.

Specifically, Okupe, while featuring on a national television programme, responded to some remarks credited to Obi on the hardship ravaging the nation.

Obi had been reported to have critisised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, suggesting that people from the South-West are feeling the heat of the hard times just like other citizens from other parts of the country.

For Obi, Tinubu had campaigned on the mantra that he is a Yoruba man and that it was his turn, stating that people in Yoruba land are not even getting food items and other essential commodities at cheaper rates notwithstanding that the President is from their region.

However, Obi’s submissions had attracted mixed reactions on social media with some criticising him while others supported his assertions.

Weighing in on the raging controversy, Okupe joined the critics, describing Obi’s remark as an “insult” to people in the South-West.

He argued that Obi’s statement publicly belittled the South-West, despite receiving support from prominent Yoruba leaders and other residents of the zone during his presidential electioneering ambition.

Okupe claimed that people from the South West felt insulted hearing Obi uttered such remarks, noting that many, including himself, who supported him regretted it.

He mentioned former President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the prominent Yoruba indigenes who backed Obi’s presidential bid, saying although he did not regret supporting Obi, he would never support him again.

Okupe attributed his initial support to the agreement that a southern president should emerge, specifically from the South-East, insisting the betrayal he felt by the criticism of the South-West by the former governor of Anambra State.

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Donald Trump Projected To Occupy White House, Congratulated By Nigerian President

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President Trump Signs Executive Order In Oval Office Of The White House

There is an indication that the former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump may become the 47th President of the US.

Trump became more confident in his political comeback in American history after securing his third battleground victory on Tuesday evening by clinching Pennsylvania, bringing him closer to a White House win.

The 78 presidential candidates of the Republican Party already won 266 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democrat Party.

Trump reversed his 2020 losses in the crucial states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — running up big margins among his white rural and working-class base while making significant inroads among ethnic minorities.

Addressing supporters in Florida, Trump claimed victory, saying his performance is unprecedented in the history of the country.

He promised to help the US to heal, stressing that the country needs help very badly.

He also assured citizens of fixing critical infrastructure and other necessary areas of the country.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday extended his congratulations to Donald Trump on his re-election as the 47th President of the United States of America.

Tinubu expressed his eagerness to strengthen the ties between Nigeria and the United States amid the complex challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world.

His congratulatory message was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Identifying synergy and cooperation with the US government as a means of fostering economic prosperity, the President of Nigeria noted that the relationship would promote peace, and address global challenges that affect their citizens.

He said Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership.

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EFCC Nabs Ex-Delta Governor, Okowa, For Alleged N1.3trn Fraud

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Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion.

Sources with the EFCC revealed that Okowa visited the EFCC office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday before he was subsequently detained by officials.

The N1.3 trillion reportedly represents the 13% derivation fund from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.

It was gathered that Okowa was at the Port Harcourt office of the Commission following an invitation from investigators probing the allegations against him.

The former governor was said to have been apprehended no sooner than he arrived at the anti-graft office.

Okowa was also accused of failing to account for the funds, as well as another N40 billion he allegedly claimed was used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Sources said the former governor reportedly bought shares worth N40 billion in one of the country’s major banks, representing an 8% equity stake, to support the offshore LNG project.

The funds are alleged to have been misappropriated for other purposes.

They noted that investigators are also examining the alleged diversion of funds by the former governor to acquire estates in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State.

Okowa was the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the 2023 election.

He was the governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023 and was succeeded by Sheriff Oborevwori, the incumbent Governor.

When contacted, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the arrest but declined further comment on the matter.

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