SPECIAL REPORT
BREAKING! Biden drops out of US Presidential Race
U.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump while endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the party’s candidate.
Biden, 81, in a post on X, said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.
His initial statement had not included an endorsement of Harris, but he followed up a few minutes later with an expression of support.
Harris, 59, would become the first Black woman to do run at the top of a major-party ticket in the country’s history.
Former President Trump, the Republican candidate in the Nov. 5 election, told CNN on Sunday that he believed Harris would be easier to defeat.
Biden had a change of heart, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The president told allies that as of Saturday night he planned to stay in the race before changing his mind on Sunday afternoon.
“Last night the message was proceed with everything, full speed ahead,” a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “At around 1:45 p.m. today: the president told his senior team that he had changed his mind.”
He announced his decision on social media within minutes.
It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party’s nomination – she was widely seen as the pick for many party officials – or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.
Biden’s announcement follows a wave of public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials to quit the race after his shockingly poor performance in a June 27 televised debate last month against Republican rival Trump, 78.
Biden’s failure at times to complete clear sentences took the public spotlight away from Trump’s performance, in which he made a string of false statements, and trained it instead on questions surrounding Biden’s fitness for another 4-year term.
Days later he raised fresh concerns in an interview, shrugging off Democrats’ worries and a widening gap in opinion polls, and saying he would be fine losing to Trump if he knew he’d “gave it my all.”
His gaffes at a NATO summit – invoking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name when he meant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and calling Harris “Vice President Trump” -further stoked anxieties.
Only four days before Sunday’s announcement, Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 for a third time, forcing him to cut short a campaign trip to Las Vegas. More than one in 10 congressional Democrats had called publicly for him to quit the race.
Biden’s historic move – the first sitting president to give up his party’s nomination for reelection since President Lyndon Johnson in March 1968 – leaves his replacement with less than four months to wage a campaign.
If Harris emerges as the nominee, the move would represent an unprecedented gamble by the Democratic Party: its first Black and Asian American woman to run for the White House in a country that has elected one Black president and never a woman president in more than two centuries of democracy.
Biden was the oldest U.S. president ever elected when he beat Trump in 2020. During that campaign, Biden described himself as a bridge to the next generation of Democratic leaders. Some interpreted that to mean he would serve one term, a transitional figure who beat Trump and brought his party back to power.
But he set his sights on a second term in the belief that he was the only Democrat who could beat Trump again amid questions about Harris’s experience and popularity. In recent times, though, his advanced age began to show through more. His gait became stilted and his childhood stutter occasionally returned.
His team had hoped a strong performance at the June 27 debate would ease concerns over his age. It did the opposite: a Reuters/Ipsos poll after the debate showed that about 40% of Democrats thought he should quit the race.
Donors began to revolt and supporters of Harris began to coalesce around her. Top Democrats, including former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime ally, told Biden he cannot win the election.
Biden initially resisted pressure to step aside. He held damage-control calls and meetings with lawmakers and state governors, and sat for rare television interviews. But it was not enough. Polls showed Trump’s lead in key battleground states widening, and Democrats began to fear a wipeout in the House and Senate. On July 17, California’s Rep. Adam Schiff called on him to exit the race.
Biden’s departure sets up a stark new contrast, between the Democrats’ presumptive new nominee, Harris, a former prosecutor, and Trump who is two decades her senior and faces two outstanding criminal prosecutions related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result. He is due to be sentenced in New York in September on a conviction for trying to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star.
BIDEN STRUGGLED BEFORE DEBATE
Earlier this year, facing little opposition, Biden easily won the Democratic Party’s primary race to pick its presidential candidate, despite voter concerns about his age.
However, his staunch support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza eroded support among some in his own party, particularly young, progressive Democrats and voters of color.
Many Black voters say Biden has not done enough for them, and enthusiasm among Democrats overall for a second Biden term had been low. Even before the debate with Trump, Biden was trailing the Republican in some national polls and in the battleground states he would have needed to win to prevail on Nov. 5.
Harris was tasked with reaching out to those voters in recent months.
During the primary race, Biden accumulated more than 3,600 delegates to the Democratic National Convention to be held in Chicago in August. That was almost double the 1,976 needed to win the party’s nomination.
Unless the Democratic Party changes the rules, delegates pledged to Biden would enter the convention “uncommitted,” leaving them to vote on his successor.
Democrats also have a system of “superdelegates,” unpledged senior party officials and elected leaders whose support is limited on the first ballot but who could play a decisive role in subsequent rounds.
Biden beat Trump in 2020 by winning in the key battleground states, including tight races in Pennsylvania and Georgia. At a national level, he bested Trump by more than 7 million votes, capturing 51.3% of the popular vote to Trump’s 46.8%.
-Reuters
Morocco advocated Thursday before the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU-PSC) for an ethical, responsible, beneficial, and sovereign African AI.
“The future of AI in Africa can’t sidestep the need to build an African AI, by Africa and for Africa. The AI we want must be ethical, responsible, and adapted to our realities,” Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita stressed in a speech delivered via videoconference to the AU-PSC Ministerial Meeting, which Morocco holds chairmanship for March, on “Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Peace, Security, and Governance in Africa.”
In this context, the Minister, who chairs this ministerial Meeting, called for mobilization and collective action to make AI a true lever for development, peace, and security for Africans.
Aware of this reality, Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is committed to contributing to Africa’s boom in the field of AI, Bourita stated, reaffirming the Kingdom’s strong and dynamic commitment to the emergence of a united African leadership in AI.
Highlighting the challenges and opportunities that AI presents for the African continent, the Minister pointed out that while AI is a tool for development and progress for humanity, it is also a double-edged sword because, if misused, it could worsen divisions, fuel instability, and serve as a tool for the most destructive non-state actors.
The figures are telling: a 900% surge in deepfake videos since 2019, a 300% rise in AI-driven cyberattacks between 2019 and 2022, and 40% of terrorist groups have already used autonomous drones in their attacks. Additionally, 47 countries were affected by disinformation campaigns in 2023, directly impacting their democratic processes.
In the face of these challenges, Bourita underscored the need for Africa to position itself as a key player in the global governance of AI.
The Minister also reminded that AI not only involves security and stability challenges, but is also an astounding driver of economic growth. By 2030, AI is expected to inject $15.7 trillion into the global economy, increase agricultural production by 10 to 15%, and accelerate the growth rate of certain countries by 40%, he pointed out.
However, Bourita noted that Africa must overcome structural gaps to fully harness AI’s potential, adding that 60% of Africa’s population currently still lacks internet access, less than 2% of the data used in AI is sourced from Africa, and only 1% of the global AI talent is based in Africa.
To address this, Morocco suggested a series of concrete measures, including the creation of an African AI Fund, the establishment of a pan-African strategy for data collection and valorization, and the launch of a massive training program to build an African elite in AI.
Bourita also recalled that the Kingdom, a pioneer in AI on the continent, has already taken significant initiatives: the “Digital Morocco 2030” strategy aiming to train 100,000 talents annually, the launch, two weeks ago, of a national program to introduce children to AI, and the establishment of the first African UNESCO AI center, “Ai Movement,” based in Rabat.
On the international front, Morocco has also played a key role in the adoption of the first UN resolutions on AI and co-founded the Group of Friends on Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development, which brings together over 70 countries, he stated.
In his speech, Bourita also called for coordinated and concrete African action, stressing that “inaction is our common enemy.”
In this regard, the Kingdom has put forward the institutionalization of a network of African national AI centers and the establishment of a panel of African experts to support the implementation of the continental strategy.
Finally, Bourita reaffirmed Morocco’s willingness to work hand in hand with its African partners to make AI a tool for development and stability.
“Africa must believe in its ability to take its destiny into its own hands,” Bourita said, quoting His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
The Minister concluded by stating that “AI will not wait for us to be ready. It is already here, reshaping power dynamics. The choice is simple: either we unite to master this transformation, or we will suffer the consequences.”
-MAP
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has welcome the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier Emirates flight back to Nigeria after a two-year break.
Emirates landed in Lagos last week after it stopped operation to Nigeria over diplomatic impasse and non-repatriation on its revenues then.
That now is a tale of the past as Nigeria’s aviation minister, Keyamo has expressed gratitude over the resolution of the impasse.
“Thank you for coming back to stay. You are not going away again. Going forward, our relationship will expand beyond resumption of flights”, the minister remarked.
“There are other things we can do that are mutually beneficial to both countries”, Keyamo further stated.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Sports Village Square takes a peep down memory lane since Nigeria’s independence 64 years ago. The findings are encapsulated in 64 paragraphs
August 22, 1960 – The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) was formally admitted to FIFA at its Congress in Rome.
November 30, 1960 – Nigerian boxer, Dick Tiger won the Middleweight Championship of the British Empire by beating Canada’s Wilf Greaves by knock out in the ninth round.
October 23, 1962 – Dick Tiger of Nigeria beat America’s Gene Fullmer in San Francisco to become the WBA champion
November 9, 1962 – Dick Tiger was recognized as World Middleweight Champion by the New York State Athletic Commission, the European Boxing Union and the British Boxing Board of Control.
August 10, 1963 – The first world boxing bout in Nigeria as Dick Tiger became the WBC Middleweight champion and retained his WBA belt after beating Gene Fullman by knockout in the seventh round at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan.
October 10, 1964 – Nojim Maiyegun won Nigeria’s first ever medal at the Olympics when the light middleweight boxer shared the bronze medal with Józef Grzesiak of Poland.
October 21, 1965 – Dick Tiger regained his WBC and WBA belts which he had lost on December 7, 1963 to Joey Giardello at Atlantic City, New Jersey. He beat Giardello in New York to regain his crowns.
February 13, 1966 – For the first time, a Nigeria team won a football match in Ghana as the Sam Garba Okoye-inspired Nigerian Academicals which included Ismaila Mabo, Peter Anieke, and Tony Igwe, won 1-0 and followed up with a 2-1 win in the return leg in Lagos.
May 4, 1968 – The first time a Nigeria team qualified for a global football tournament. Even though the Green Eagles lost 1-0 to Ethiopia, they picked the ticket to feature at the Mexico ’68 Olympics.
August 26, 1972 – Isaac Ikhouria won a bronze medal in the boxing event of the Munich Olympic Games.
January 18, 1973 – Nigeria’s first continental honours, as the Green Eagles won the gold medal of the football event of the 2nd All Africa Games. The only victory Nigeria’s football team has obtained at the African Games.
March 14, 1976 – Nigeria’s return to the Africa Cup of Nations finals after 13 years absence was marked with an impressive third place position after beating Egypt 3-2. The highlight of the match was the spectacular winning goal scored by Muda Lawal.
April 18, 1976 – Nigeria pick the ticket for the Montreal Olympics after eliminating the current African champions, Morocco, 3-2 on aggregate. The Nigerian side however pulled out of the Olympics along with the other African countries.
December 12, 1976 – Shooting Stars became the first Nigerian team to win a continental title after a 4-2 aggregate win over Roger Milla -inspired Cameroon’s Tonerre Kalara in the African Winners Cup competition.
December 5, 1977 – Enugu Rangers won the African Winners Cup after beating Cameroon’s Canon Yaoundé 5-2 on aggregate.
March 22, 1980 – In front of enthusiastic crowd, including President Shehu Shagari, Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.
April 6, 1983 – For the first time, Nigeria won the African Youth Championship (Tessema Cup after beating Cote d’Ivoire 4-3 on aggregate) and qualified for the World Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup). It is the first time, Nigeria featured in a FIFA event.
June 4, 1983 – Nigeria unexpectedly beat former champions, USSR, 1-0, in one of the opening matches of the 1983 World Youth Championship (now Under 20 World Cup). It was the first time a Nigerian football team won a match organized by FIFA at global level.
July 28, 1984 – The Nigerian 4 x 400 team of Innocent Egbunike, Sunday Uti, Rotimi Peters and Moses Ugbusien won the bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.
July 28, 1984 – Peter Konyengwachie won the silver medal in the featherweight category of boxing at the Los Angeles Olympics.
August 11, 1985 – Nigeria beat Germany 2-0 to win the inaugural FIFA Under 16 Tournament in China. It was the first time a team outside Europe and South America will win a major global event.
February 16, 1989 – When Christopher Ohenhen fired from a 15 metre spot kick in the match against hosts, Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the World Youth Championship (now U20 World Cup), it was not just the winning goal of the 2-1 score line, it was a milestone, the 500th since the competition began in 1977.
December 8, 1990 – BCC Lions became the third Nigerian club side to win the African Winners Cup as they beat Tunisia’s Club Africaine.
July 25, 1992 – Richard Igbineghu won a silver medal in the Super Heavyweight category of boxing at the Barcelona Olympics. Also, David Izonritei won the silver medal in heavy weight category after losing to Cuba’s Felix Savon in the final.
July 25, 1992 – The Nigerian quartet of Osmond Ezenwa, Oluyemi Kayode, Olapade Adeniken and Davidson Ezinwa won the silver medal in 4x100m Men at the Barcelona Olympics.
July 25, 1992 – The Nigerian quartet of Mary Onyali, Faith Idehen, Christy Opara-Thompson and Beatrice Utondu won the bronze medal in 4x100m Women at the Barcelona Olympics.
November 28, 1992 – Shooting Stars won the inaugural CAF Cup (now Confederations Cup) after beating Uganda’s Nakivibu Vila 3-0 on aggregate at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
September 4, 1993 – Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets beat Ghana, 2-1 in the final to win the FIFA Under -17 World Cup in Japan for the second time.
October 8, 1993 – For the first time since debut entry in 1959, Nigeria qualified for the FIFA World Cup final after a 1-1 draw with Algeria in Algiers.
April 10, 1994 – Nigeria were African champions again, after beating Zambia 2-1 in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunis, Tunisia.
June 21, 1994 – Nigeria made a good debut in the World Cup, beating Bulgaria 3-0 as Rashidi Yekini became Nigeria’s first scorer at the World Cup.
December 4, 1994 – Bendel Insurance won the CAF Cup ((now Confederations Cup) becoming Nigeria’s second club after Shooting Stars to do so.
July 29, 1996 – Falilat Ogunkoya became Nigeria’s first individual woman Olympic medallist when she won bronze medal in 400 metres at the Atlanta Olympics
August 2, 1996 – Chioma Ajunwa produced an amazing first-round leap of 7.12m to become Nigeria’s first Olympic medallist.
August 3, 1996 – The Nigerian quartet of Falilat Ogunkoya, Fatima Yusuf, Christy Opara and Bisi Afolabi won the silver medal in 4x400m Women at the Atlanta Olympics.
August 3, 1996 – Nigeria won the gold medal in the football event of the Atlanta ’96 Olympics. It was the first time a team outside Europe would do that in 68 years. Nigeria also put an end to Europe’s successive victory. Since Nigeria’s victory, no European team has won the gold medal.
August 4, 1996 – Duncan Dokiwari won a bronze medal in the super heavyweight category of boxing at the Atlanta Olympics.
October 31, 1998 – Nigeria won the inaugural African Women Championship when Super Falcons beat Ghana 2-0 in the final match played at Abeokuta.
September 27, 2000 – Glory Alozie won the silver medal for Nigeria in women’s 100 hurdles at the Sydney Olympics.
September 30, 2000 – Nigeria won the men’s 4×400 relay silver medal at the Sydney Olympics. Years later, the quartet was upgraded to gold medallists after the disqualification of the American team.
September 30, 2000 – Nigeria won the women’s 4×400 relay bronze at the Sydney Olympics.
January 27, 2001 – When Victor Agali scored in the 67th minute to put scores at 2-0 in an eventual 3-0 defeat of Sudan in Port Harcourt, it was Nigeria’s 100th goal in the qualifying series of the World Cup. Nigeria thus became the first African side to hit a century of World Cup qualifying goals.
December 12, 2003 – Nigeria’s Enyimba won CAF Champions League. It is the first time a Nigerian side will do so since the continent’s premier club competition began in 1964. Enyimba went ahead to win the Super Cup for the first time for Nigeria.
January 31, 2004 – When Super Eagles’ skipper scored from the penalty spot against South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations, it brought score line to 2-0 in an eventual 4-0 triumph. The goal is officially the 1,000th in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations.
August 27, 2004 – Nigeria won the bronze medal in the men’s 4 x 400 relay at the Athens Olympics.
August 28, 2004 – Nigeria won the bronze medal in the men’s 4×100 relay at the Athens Olympics.
December 12, 2004 – Enyimba became the first side to win the Champions’ League back-to-back and the first time a team successfully defend the African title in 36 years.
September 9, 2007 – Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets beat Spain, 3-0 (pens) in the final to win the FIFA Under -17 World Cup in Korea. It was a record setting third win.
March 8, 2008 – Nigeria’s Samuel Peters beat Oleg Maskaev in Cancun, Mexico to become the WBC champion.
August 21, 2008 – Nigeria won the bronze medal in the women’s 4×100 relay at the Beijing Olympics.
August 21, 2008 – Chika Chukwumerije won a bronze for Nigeria in the men’s heavyweight category of taekwondo at the Beijing Olympics.
August 22, 2008 – Blessing Okagbare won a bronze medal for Nigeria in women’s Long jump at the Beijing Olympics.
August 23, 2008 – Nigeria won the silver medal in the men’s football event of Beijing Olympics.
October 1, 2009 – On the occasion of Nigeria’s 49th Independence Day, Daniel Adejo scored the last of a 5-0 defeat of Tahiti at the Cairo International Stadium to pull Nigeria through to the next round of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The goal was the 1,800th of the competition.
August 1, 2010 – Nigeria’s Falconets emerged the runners-up in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Germany after losing the final match 2-0 to the hosts, Germany. It was the best performance by an African side at the tournament.
February 3, 2013– Nigeria’s Super Eagles fielding largely home-grown players, beat Burkina Faso 1-0 to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time.
November 3, 2013– When Golden Eaglet’s Chidera Ezeh scored the third of Sweden’s 3-0 defeat at the U-17 World Cup in UAE, it turned a landmark goal, the 1,700th since the competition began in 1985.
August 30, 2015 – Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers won the Afrobasket for the first time, beating Angola 74-65. Nigeria’s Chamberlain Oguchi also emerged as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
August 20, 2016 – By beating Honduras 3-2 in the third-place match of the football event of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Nigeria became the first football team in the world to win gold, silver and bronze medals of the Olympic football event having won gold in 1996 and silver in 2008.
October 7, 2017 – When Nigeria beat Zambia 1-0 in Uyo to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles extended their unbeaten run in the qualifying series to 34 matches. It was the longest unbeaten streak in Africa and the second in the world after the 59 achieved by Spain. Nigeria’s feat is even more remarkable considering that it is four matches ahead that of Germany, the 2014 World Cup winners.
April 18, 2020 – Former Nigeria badminton player, Obiageli Solaja became the first Nigerian to win the African Women in Badminton Award. The award is conferred by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA).
March 12, 2021 – President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick became the third Nigeria ever to be elected into FIFA Council after Oyo Orok Oyo’s success into the then FIFA Executive Committee in 1980 and of Amos Adamu in 2006.
July 24, 2022 – Tobi Amusan became the first Nigerian to win gold at the World Athletics Championships after racing to a stunning world record time of 12.06s in Women’s 100m hurdles. It was the second time Amusan would break the record on the night, improving on her 12.12s in the semi-final. It was previously set by America’s Kendra Harrison’s at 12.20s.
July 29, 2024 – Nigeria’s basketball women’s team, D’Tigress ended their two-decade wait to experience winning a game at the Olympic Games when they beat Australia 75- 62.
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