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Obi arrives London, set to speak at Chatham house today

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, arrived in London Sunday night ahead of his planned appearance at Chatham House today (Monday).

Videos and pictures surfaced on Twitter of the former Anambra State Governor in the comfort of his entourage, eagerly looking forward to Monday’s session.

Obi had earlier on Sunday posted on his Twitter page information concerning his session at the famous independent policy institute trusted for debate and dialogue. Obi will be speaking on his vision for policy change and the institutional reforms that the Labour Party, Datti, and him have for Nigeria.

Obi becomes the second-highest-profile political candidate to appear on the podium of the famed institute.

Read also: 2023: Obi to speak at Chatham house

Atiku Abubakar is hale and hearty with no record of underlying ailments – spokesman

Phrank Shuaibu, the Special Adviser on Public Communication for Atiku Abubakar, has debunked claims that his principal is sick and unfit to continue his campaigns.

Shuaibu registered his claim on Channels TV’s Sunday politics programme saying that “Atiku Abubakar is hale and hearty with no record of underlying ailments.”

Last week, news about Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), putting a pause on his campaign to take care of his health surfaced online. A situation that got many wondering if the former vice president of Nigeria has the capacity to govern the country.

After much speculation, Abubakar appeared at Heathrow Airport in London, getting ready for a high-level discussion with some members of the British government, the PDP claimed.

Google unveils portal for 2023 elections

In its continued quest to promote fair reporting and a credible, free, and fair 2023 election, Google announced the launch of a portal called the “Nigeria Elections Trends Hub.” Google plans to use the portal to help Nigerians with their search for information related to the upcoming 2023 elections.

Google said users would be able to get trending information related to “the presidential and vice presidential candidates, parties, and issues through the lens of Google Trends.”

As an analytical tool, the online search giant added that the platform will allow users to compare the search popularity of the presidential candidates and trending questions being asked about them.

Maps and graphs that will help visitors in their search will display search interest for the candidates over a period of 30 days.

POLL China growth seen rebounding to 4.9% in 2023, more stimulus on the cards

A recent poll conducted by Reuters shows that the Chinese economy is likely to grow by 4.9 percent in 2023 before steadying in 2024. This new optimism is boosted by recent statements from policymakers pledging to step up their support for the country as it continues to deal with the ravaging COVID-19, which has led to a rise in COVID-19 infections.

Gross domestic product (GDP) likely grew just 2.8 percent in 2022 as lockdowns weighed on activity and confidence, according to the median forecasts of 49 economists polled by Reuters, slower than a 3.2 percent rise seen in October’s forecast and braking sharply from 8.4 percent growth in 2021.

Strict COVID curbs were abruptly lifted in December, but surging infections are causing some near-term pain.

Oil prices steadies as China demand outlook wakes confidence

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures prices steadied above $79 per barrel on Monday as investors were buoyed by the recent demand outlook from China despite the prospect of a global economic slowdown.

According to trading economics, the WTI rose more than 8 percent last week as China’s reopening from COVID curbs raised hopes for an increase in economic activity and mobility, with analysts predicting that oil demand in the top crude imposter will likely reach a record this year.

This price will likely spike as investors await the market outlook report from OPEC on Tuesday, followed by the IEA on Wednesday.