Five things to know to start your Tuesday

US Independence Day killing: Suspect arrested

The scene of a gun attack on holiday seekers in Illinois, Chicago, USA, was a gory sight yesterday when a man, Robert E. Crimo III, suspected of being behind the shooting, opened fire on several people, killing six and injuring many others in the process. 

Crimo III was apprehended after hours of serious manhunt.

“The arrest follows an hours-long manhunt. Police are still describing the man in custody, Robert E. Crimo III, as a ‘person of interest’ but believe he was the gunman,” Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli said on Monday night.

“This individual is believed to have been responsible for what happened.”

On the official Twitter page of the BBC, @BBCWorld, people have expressed shock and disappointment and urged the government in the states to do something about its notorious gun laws. @Hillforter replied to @BBCWorld’s tweet that “How could they let him buy guns?”

Another @YahtzeeJohnny, tweeted, “A shooting happening on America’s birthday. That‘d be poetically ironic if it wasn’t so horrible.”

It has been total anguish and disbelief that a day of celebration when all Americans come together to celebrate America’s independence was turned into a day of mourning.

Buba Galadima: Peter Obi should grab NNPP’s offer

Chief Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has said that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, should take the role of a running mate to Rabiu Kwankwanso, the presidential candidate of the NNPP, without wasting much time.

When Galadima was airing his opinion on AriseTV, he advised that it would be better for Peter Obi and the people of the southeast extraction to queue behind Kwankwaso to enable them to fulfil their dream of the presidency come 2031.

“If you make Peter Obi the president at 60, by the time he finishes eight years, Kwankwaso would have been 74-75 years old, so the young men again will say that he is too old to run for president,” he said, using age as a basis to justify his point.

“But if you allow Senator Kwankwaso to become the president and Chief Peter Obi to become his vice president, it means by the time Kwankwaso finishes, even if it is 8 years, Chief Peter Obi would be 67-68 years old. Therefore, strong enough to run for the president of Nigeria,” he added

“Additionally, I want people to know that the development strides that Kwankwaso have done in Kano is unprecedented and the kind of economy that peter obi has managed as governor of Anambra state is unprecedented,” he buttressed both individuals’ track records as a kind reminder why their partnership will be best for the country.

Therefore, the vice president’s province is managing the economy of our country, ” he went further.

“Therefore, if you make Peter Obi manage the economy as vice president and Kwankwaso manages the development of the country and brings this country together, unifying it, it will be a seamless transition from Kwankwaso to Peter Obi.”

“I believe that Nigerians should not use sentiment and that patience is of the essence in this matter.

Galadima used Tinubu as a reference for why it is important for Peter Obi and the southeast region to exercise patience “Bola Ahmed Tinubu for example, was patient enough both his time and at his age, he picked the ticket of the ruling party,”

“I think people from the southeast should manage this because it is easier and simpler for somebody from the southeast to become president easily by being supported by a sitting national government, which we intend to do, and all the parameters of this sentiment that people are using do not hold water because we have seen how the southeast voted during the PDP primaries.”

“Of all the southeast candidates in those primaries, how many did the man who had the highest votes get? They were also candidates of the southeast extraction during the APC primaries. “How many votes did they get?” he concluded with a rhetorical question presenting the lack of numerical voting strength of the southeast region.

TSO endorses El-Rufai as Tinubu’s running mate

As the deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the submission of candidates by all political parties draws nearer, the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO) has endorsed the candidature of Nasir El-Rufai, the incumbent governor of Kaduna State, to run alongside Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The group used his experience and his given track record in both governance and politics to arrive at the conclusion that he was the preferred candidate for their principal.

According to Aminu Suleiman, the TSO’s Director-General, the group arrived at the choice of El-Rufai after meeting with critical stakeholders from the northwest zone and beyond. Other candidates considered were the current governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, and Simon Lalong of Plateau State.

The group believes that the party will beat the deadline for the submission of candidates on or before July 17.

Read also: Inside details of the unpaid petrol bridging claims

Sudan’s army won’t take part in political talks, leader says

Sudan’s military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burham, said on Monday that the army would not participate in proposed internationally led dialogue efforts to end the impasse with the civilian opposition. He, however, pleaded with all political and revolutionary groups in the country to initiate negotiations that would start a transitional government.

Since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir in October 2019, who has been accused of war crimes by the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), the military has faced so much pressure both from the home and international fronts to quit the government and hand it over to civilians.

According to Reuters, Burhan said on Monday that the army’s decision not to participate in talks was to allow political and revolutionary groups to form a government.

He called on civilian groups to start a serious dialogue to bring the country back to a democratic transition. The military will be committed to implementing the outcomes of the dialogue, he said.

Burhan promised that the ruling sovereign council, which includes both military and civilian members, would be disbanded once a new government was formed.

Brent stays steady upwards as supply worsens

According to trading economics, Brent crude futures held on to their recent advance to around $114.5 per barrel on Tuesday, despite recession fears affecting global supply of the product.

Analysts described the recent strike by Norwegian offshore workers as having the potential to disrupt global supply and push prices even higher as it is likely to cut off 130,000 barrels, or 6.5 percent of the country’s daily oil production. This is according to Reuters.

Don’t forget that the global oil supply went up by almost 50 percent as the global economic recovery coincided with disrupted Russian supply due to the war in Ukraine.

Adding to supply concerns, OPEC+ promises to increase supply by 60 percent by this month appear to be a pipe dream in the light of the following challenges such as underinvestment, capacity constraints, and political unrest in some member states.