Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently presiding over the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.

Several key national issues, including insecurity and state policing, are expected to dominate the agenda.

The state governors and several deputy governors attend the Council Chambers meeting.

Among those in attendance is the newly appointed Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), who is attending the NEC for the first time since his appointment.

Also present is Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Other governors in attendance include the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara); Hyacinth Alia (Benue); Bassey Otu (Cross River); Monday Okpebholo (Edo); Uba Sani (Kaduna); and Alex Otti (Abia), among others.

Their deputy governors represent a sizable number of the states.

The National Economic Council, which is chaired by the Vice President and comprises all 36 state governors, the Central Bank Governor, and other key officials, meets periodically to deliberate on economic and developmental matters and to advise the President accordingly.

Among the pressing issues on the table is the growing insecurity in parts of the country, particularly in Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, and Kwara states.

The council is expected to review ongoing security strategies and the status of state-level consensus on the establishment of state police.

The last NEC meeting, held on February 20, saw the launch of the Nutrition 774 Initiative, a nationwide program designed to tackle malnutrition in all local government areas across the country.

The outcome of the ongoing meeting is expected to shape federal and state-level collaborations in tackling insecurity, boosting economic growth, and enhancing governance in Nigeria.

The meeting was chaired by NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Other governors in attendance included those of Edo, Imo, Zamfara, Oyo, Ogun, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Plateau, Borno, Ekiti, Delta, Osun, and Kaduna, among others.ABUJA – Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, describing him as a “loser again” following the defection of prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Okowa, who served as Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, was among a wave of high-profile PDP figures who recently joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), sparking intense political reactions.

Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, made the comments via his official account on X (formerly Twitter). Reacting to the defections, he stated:

“Atiku’s political future looks bleak. The coalition that he, El-Rufai, Babachir, and new member Baba-Ahmed are cobbling together has disintegrated. Potential allies, including former running mate Ifeanyi Okowa and defunct CPC members, are giving his leprous group a wide berth. Atiku is a loser again.”

Atiku Abubakar, who ran as the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, came second behind President Tinubu. The recent high-profile defections are being interpreted by political observers as a major setback for his efforts to build a formidable coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.

The mass defection is also being viewed as a boost to the APC’s influence in the South-South region and a possible sign of shifting political alliances ahead of future contests.

The North Central All Progressives Congress (NC APC) Forum has criticized former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over his comments questioning the credibility of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) bloc led by former Nasarawa state governor, Tanko Al-Makura.

Malami had argued that Al-Makura’s group lacked the authority to speak for CPC legacy members, insisting that only the faction aligned with former President Muhammadu Buhari — to which Malami belongs — could determine whether or not to engage with the emerging opposition coalition spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

In a swift response on Saturday, the NC APC Forum, through a statement signed by its Chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, rejected Malami’s assertions and accused him of lacking the credibility to represent the CPC bloc or comment on critical national issues.Abubakar Malami is in no position to represent the CPC bloc. His tenure as Justice Minister was marked by controversial decisions that weakened public confidence in the government institutions.

“Nigerians are still grappling with the aftermath of the impunities that occurred under his watch,” the Forum said.”The Forum further accused Malami of undermining the anti-corruption war during the Buhari administration, alleging that he interfered with anti-graft fights and appointments, citing a particular high profile appointment leading to compromise of high-profile cases.Additionally, the Forum suspected Malami as part of those responsible for the controversial Naira redesign policy and the resultant cash crunch and widespread hardship that gripped the nation in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections.

The Forum also aleged Malami of covertly working against Tinubu during the 2023 election and aligning with those seeking to undermine the current administration.

“He and others from the former President’s camp did not support Tinubu then, and now they’re upset because they have no role in the present government.

Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Wednesday, urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend his retreat in France and return home to address the ongoing communal clashes and killings across the country.

Obi made the appeal in a statement posted via his official X account.

The plea comes four days after the Presidency dismissed speculation that Tinubu left the shores of the country to see doctors in France, insisting that it was a working visit.

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, made the clarification when he was featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Bwala was reacting to the claim by popular activist and politician Omoyele Sowore that the President’s trip to France was for medical attention.

Although his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that Tinubu, who travelled out on April 2, is expected to return to Nigeria in ‘about a fortnight,’ Sowore alleged in a post on his official Facebook page that the trip was for medical care.

But Obi warned that the President’s continued stay in a foreign land will further exacerbate the rising wave of insecurity in the country.

He said, “I am compelled at this time in our lives as a nation to call on our retreating President’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entails that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.

“In the 2 weeks you have been away, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity across Nigeria, especially in Plateau and Zamfara states. The repeated pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta, further reflect a nation in distress.

“In the North East, Borno State leaders are bemoaning the return of insurgency, with troops and civilians being killed randomly. In the Southeast, the story is the same: killings and abductions. Amid all these, the CEO of the troubled company called Nigeria, is retreating to a faraway land in France from the company’s headquarters.

“I, therefore, like to urge Mr President to quickly suspend whatever he is doing in France and rush home to take responsibility by addressing these disturbing issues. That is the new Nigeria that the nation seeks.”

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid come 2027.

Mr Eno, elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform, disclosed this on Monday before the flag-off of the construction of a 65-kilometre, three-lane dual carriageway by the Minister of Works David Umahi.

“Let me end by assuring our people-loving president who will complete eight years because we’re going to stand by him,” Mr Eno said. “He cannot start this work and abandon it; somebody else may not finish it.”

“The hand that has started this work, that hand shall complete it. Our prayer for Mr President is for good health to finish the work that he has started and commission this work so that this work will not be abandoned. It will not be like the East-West Road,” he added.

The carriageway is part of the 750km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, connecting Lagos to Cross River through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states.

According to the governor, Hitech Construction Company, contracted to handle the project, will mobilise its men to commence work after Easter.

Mr Eno vowed that his government will continue to reciprocate Mr Tinubu’s love for the state across party lines by collaborating with the president despite being the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum has declared that the party would not join or merge with any other political party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The forum’s chairman, Governor Muhammad Bala of Bauchi State, said this after the governors’ meeting on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Reading the group’s communique after the meeting, Mr Bala said the PDP governors resolved that the party would not join any coalition or merger.

“Noting the nationwide speculations about possible merger of political parties, groups and/or associations, the forum resolved that the PDP will not join any coalition or merger,” the governor said.

He, however, said PDP, as a major opposition party, would welcome any party, association or group willing to join it to wrestle power and enthrone good leadership in 2027.

Mr Bala, who was flanked by other PDP governors when reading the communique, equally stated that the forum reaffirmed its position taken in Asaba on the issue of the party’s national secretary.

He said, “That on the wake of the Supreme Court judgement, the forum resolved to recommend the publicity secretary of the party to act as the national secretary, pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive national secretary from the South East zone by NEC at its next meeting.”

The chairman stated that the forum reasserted its collective determination to approach the Supreme Court to give a clear verdict on the interpretation of the law on the declaration of a state of emergency in any state of the federation.

“The forum, therefore, reiterates its solidarity with His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers on the ordeal in which he and his people are being plunged into by the declaration of a state of emergency, and we reiterate our commitment to stand with him to the end,” he stated.

The forum also raised concerns over the worsening security situation in some parts of the country, especially in Borno, Plateau, Katsina, and Edo States.

Mr Bala disclosed that the forum called for a review and reordering of priorities and strategies for security agencies that would guarantee improved security across the country.

The forum commiserated with the people of Plateau over the loss of lives in the recent attack in the state.

The chairman of the forum further made it known that the NEC meeting of the party would be held on May 27, “having resolved with the National Working Committee and other relevant organs of the party.”

He explained that zoning committees would be constituted during the May 27 meeting to address all issues relating to the running of the party offices.

Mr Bala said the party convention would be held in August, “precisely on the 20th, 29th and 30th in the ancient city of Kano.

Present at the meeting were Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), and Douye Diri (Bayelsa).

Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) were represented by their deputies, Monday Onyeme and Akon Eyakenyi, respectively.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that the petition seeking the recall of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has failed to meet the necessary constitutional requirements.

In a post shared on its official X page on Thursday, INEC stated that the recall petition did not satisfy the provisions of Section 69(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“The petition for the recall of the Senator representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District has not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended),” the commission wrote.

A former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, said that he would have performed better than President Bola Tinubu in two years if he was occupying his position.

In an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday, Mr Obi said Mr Tinubu has not done well in the past two years in office.

“The president that is there today. How many years has he stayed? Two years and you could see where we are. Look at the turn of things in two years. That means that you can change things in two years,” Mr Obi said.

The former Anambra governor said he could have tackled corruption head-on, make investment in critical education and health and reduce cost governance, if he were the president in the past two years.

“If I were there (Presidency) in two years, you could have seen considerable change in critical areas. I would have tackled corruption head-on. I would have reduced costs of governance, and you will see it, people would feel it,” Mr Obi said.

Mr Obi said he would have “invested in critical areas, adding “By now you would have seen the impact in education. You will be seeing it visibly. You would have seen the change in our health sector.”

A spokesperson for Mr Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has dismissed Mr Obi’s statement in the interview as illogical.

“As I listen to @PeterObi this evening struggling to play the opposition (oppose the government) I can’t but shudder at his abysmal delivery. He was speaking devoid of facts, logical analysis and almost sounded like a tinkling cymbal or a sounding brass,” Mr Bwala wrote in a post on X.

“Mr Gregory has still not recovered from the painful defeat of the 2023 polls. But I can understand his confusion because as it stands today, he seems deserted in the banana republic of fantasy, wondering how he will convince his followers about his agreement to play a second fiddle in the 2027 wild goose chase of the opposition. Nigeria dodged a bullet,” he added.

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has announced his intention to contest for re-election in the 2027 general elections.

Sani made the declaration on Sunday while delivering his Eid-el-Fitr message at his residence in Kaduna.

“Any politician contesting an election depends on the political equation that determines the position to vie for. If the conditions are right and the equations are favorable, I will offer myself to contest specifically for the Kaduna Central senatorial district,” he stated.

He further emphasised that his ambition remains secondary to ensuring the re-election of Governor Uba Sani for a second term.

“For now, our priority is to see that the incumbent governor, Uba Sani, is re-elected. We will work with all our might and strength to achieve this. We know there will be challenges and opposition, but we are well prepared for all forces,” he added.

Sani also used the occasion to urge Muslims to pray for Nigeria’s peace and unity during the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations. Additionally, he condemned the recent killing of hunters in Edo State, calling on security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators.

“If citizens cannot move freely across the country, then we are not truly a nation. If individuals take the law into their hands for any reason, it means there is no government or authority,” he lamented.

He called on all Nigerians who desire a better country to work towards peace and unity for the preservation of democracy, despite the challenges being experienced.

Sani also urged the government to uphold fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life, as a crucial step towards national stability and development.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved new appointments to key leadership positions within the River Basin Development Authorities under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

The appointments aim to enhance efficiency in water resource management and rural development across the country.

In the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Abeokuta, Sowade Oluwakayode Adebayo has been appointed as the Executive Director of Engineering Services, replacing Engr. Julius Oloro.

At the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority, Chucks Erhire has been named the new Executive Director of Engineering Services, taking over from Dr. Austin Nonyelim Izagbo.

Tinubu also appointed Sunday Kubba Hassan as the Executive Director of Planning at the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, succeeding Chief Chris Tarka.

Engr. Okibe Timothy retains his position as the Executive Director of Engineering at the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, ensuring continuity in leadership.

The Presidency emphasised that these appointments are part of the administration’s broader effort to improve water management, boost agricultural productivity, and enhance rural development.

The President urged the newly appointed officials to uphold the highest standards of integrity and efficiency in their respective roles, ensuring that Nigerians benefit from improved water resource management and infrastructure development.

The River Basin Development Authorities play a crucial role in Nigeria’s water sector, and these leadership changes reflect the government’s commitment to fostering sustainable development.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has outlined some projects that will be inaugurated in May to celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s second year in office.

Mr Wike, after inspecting some of the projects in Abuja on Thursday, identified the Abuja International Conference Centre (AICC), being rehabilitated by Julius Berger, as one of the projects.

He said the AICC would come back to life in May as a befitting international conference centre that Nigerians would be proud of.

Mr Wike expressed optimism that the centre would attract a lot of activities, adding, however, that it would no longer be business as usual.

“You know what happened last time. It was given out to one senator, who was making money but destroying the edifice.

“When we finish, we are going to have a maintenance contract with Julius Berger to address our poor maintenance culture.

“Nigeria needs an internal conference centre that is of standard and comparable with any centre in the world,” Mr Wike said.

The minister added that the two interchanges on Wole Soyinka Way (N20) would also be inaugurated in May.

He said Gilmor was constructing the interchanges, one at Murtala Mohammed Way and the other at Shehu Shagari Way.

Mr Wike said the interchanges, when completed, would connect Jahi, Jabi, Mabushi and Utako Districts and eventually connect to the FCT Division of the Court of Appeal.

He said the N16 interchange at NICON Junction would equally be inaugurated to connect Maitama and Katampe Districts through Gishiri village and be linked to Wole Soyinka Way.

“You can see all the other connecting roads leading to Judges Quarters are ongoing, and the contractor has promised that all these roads will be completed before May.

“We will also inaugurate the connecting roads to celebrate Tinubu’s second year in office,” he said.

The visibly elated minister added that projects in satellite towns would also be inaugurated.

He particularly identified some of the roads as A2-Pai rural roads in Kwali Area Council, Aguma Palace Road in Gwagwalada and the ongoing dualisation of Ushafa to Military Checkpoint Road in Bwari Area Council.

Another project to be inaugurated, according to the minister, includes the service lane from Apo interchange to Wassa, which is being constructed by CGC.

Speaking about funding the projects, the minister said the 2024 budget, which was being used to finance the project, would be implemented until June.

He added that he had submitted the 2025 budget to Mr Tinubu and expressed confidence that it would soon be transmitted to the National Assembly for approval.

“By the time the 2025 budget is passed, we will not have a problem with funding,” Mr Wike said.

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) has congratulated former president Goodluck Jonathan for winning the prestigious 2025 Founders Sunhak Peace Prize.

The congratulatory message was conveyed in a statement on Wednesday.

PDP-GF chairman Governor Bala Mohammed said that since leaving office in 2015, Mr Jonathan has been visible on the global scene advocating and propagating peace towards the development of humanity.

He said Mr Jonathan’s administration recorded several outstanding and yet-to-be-surpassed achievements.

According to him, these include rebasing the Nigerian economy and its gross domestic product for the first time in over a decade, making the country the largest economy in Africa by overtaking South Africa and Egypt.

Mr Jonathan was declared the winner of the 2025 Founder’s Sunhak Peace Award, a prestigious recognition by the Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation in Seoul, South Korea.

With this win, Mr Jonathan becomes the first African leader and only the third recipient of the Founder’s Prize, following in the footsteps of former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee lauded Mr Jonathan’s relentless peace efforts, highlighting his pro-democracy initiatives and mediation roles across Africa.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), reinforcing the board’s capacity to drive local content growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

This was contained in a statement on Thursday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The new members include Mr. Olusegun Omosehin from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN).

Also appointed are Mazi Sam Azoka Onyechi, representing the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF) and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

These appointments follow the exit of previous institutional representatives, ensuring that the council remains fully constituted and capable of fulfilling its mandate.

The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, plays a crucial role in overseeing and promoting Nigerian participation in the oil and gas sector.

It consists of representatives from key institutions, including the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), COREN, PETAN, NCCF, and NAICOM.

Tinubu urged the newly appointed members to apply their expertise and dedication to further enhance local content development, in line with his administration’s commitment to economic growth and job creation in the oil and gas sector.

Further to the statement issued yesterday, Tuesday 25th March 2025, the Commission hereby confirms that the contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission dated today, Wednesday 26th March 2025.

As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the Senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address. The same letter has been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website.

The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one-half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the Constituency. This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission.

We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent.

Sam Olumekun mni
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee

Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti has petitioned the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee to investigate Edo lawmaker Neda Imasuen for disobeying a court ruling and concealing his criminal records and New York disbarment from Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition received by the legal disciplinary committee on Monday said Mr Imasuen, chair of the Senate ethics committee, had a case to answer regarding a report by Peoples Gazette that exposed how the New York Supreme Court revoked his law licence in May 2010 after he absconded with the legal fees of his client, Daphne Slyfield, without representing her.

The Kogi senator accused Mr Imasuen of deliberately withholding this information on his INEC EC-9 form, depriving his constituents and other Nigerians of crucial details of his life and past run-ins with the U.S. government.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said Mr Imasuen, “despite his disbarment which was hinged on unethical conduct,” launched his political career in Nigeria and got appointed to chair the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, “a position requiring unimpeachable integrity.”

“That the respondent did not remotely disclose his disbarment either in his Form EC-9 — Particulars of Personal Information submitted to INEC on oath at the time of aspiring for public office,” she added.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan further drew the attention of the legal disciplinary committee to Mr Imasuen’s alleged disregard for a court ruling that shielded her from being investigated and sanctioned by the Senate pending the determination of a suit where she was accused of misconduct for speaking from an unassigned seat.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court issued an ex-parte ruling on March 5 restraining the Senate ethics committee from penalising Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.

However, Mr Imasuen, according to the Kogi senator, acknowledged Mr Egwuatu’s ex parte ruling but failed to honour it on the grounds that the legislative arm could not take orders from another arm of government.

“They presented to me a motion and a rule order from the court attempting to stop this committee from doing its work. This is unacceptable,” Mr Imasuen said. “We should actually let the world know that there is what they call separation of powers in our constitution.”

Consequently, he recommended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension to the Senate on March 6.

The embattled legislator argued that Mr Imasuen’s actions violated Section 31 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers, which states that “a lawyer shall always treat the court with respect, dignity and honour.”

Elder statesman and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun Morrison Olori, has attributed the political crisis in Rivers State to Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s inability to manage political interests and curb threats from militant groups targeting oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta.

Olori stated that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to impose emergency rule in the state was necessary to protect Nigeria’s economy, which was at risk following militant attacks on critical oil and gas facilities.

“All through the repeated threats by the militants to destabilize the Nigerian economy, Governor Fubara neither cautioned nor condemned their actions. That posture suggests that these militant groups had his blessing”, Olori said while addressing journalists at his Abuja residence on Saturday.

President Tinubu had on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly. The move followed escalating political tensions and security concerns in the state.

Olori, who also holds the title of Obaseki of the Great Ughelli Kingdom, praised the president’s intervention, arguing that no leader would sit back and allow a state governor to derail national stability.

“Nigerians should blame Governor Fubara for the current crisis in Rivers State. The state of emergency declared by Mr. President was to de-escalate the tension and curtail threats by militant groups who had sworn to cripple the nation’s economy.

“These militants matched their words with action by destroying pipelines, and yet, the governor remained silent”, he asserted.

He further emphasized that President Tinubu’s decisive move not only prevented an economic catastrophe but also shielded Governor Fubara from impeachment.

“President Tinubu should be commended for his proactive leadership. For once, we have a president who prioritizes Nigeria’s stability. His swift intervention has contained the crisis in Rivers”, Olori stated.

Olori also accused Governor Fubara of disregarding the Supreme Court’s judgment, which affirmed Martins Amaewhule as the recognized Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“For a governor to disregard another arm of government—the legislature—which was equally elected, is a violation of the Nigerian Constitution.

“Fubara should count himself lucky that President Tinubu did not allow Wike’s men to remove him from office. Instead of vilifying Mr. President, people should thank him for saving Fubara from impeachment”, he said. The APC chieftain further argued that the governor’s alleged tacit support for militants amounted to economic sabotage.

“In a normal country, a governor who supports militant threats against national assets should be held accountable. The state of emergency is necessary to prevent further destruction and restore order in Rivers State”, Olori declared.

Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has made his first public appearance after his suspension from office.

Fubara was seen attending a church service on Sunday at the headquarters of Salvation Ministries in GRA, Port Harcourt.

Fubara attended the service alongside his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie.

His appearance comes days after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers on Tuesday, citing political tensions and security concerns.

The declaration led to the suspension of Fubara, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly.

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed deep sadness over the passing of the Chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Bola Shobowale.

The state APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, in a statement on Sunday, said the party would greatly miss the late council boss, who passed away on Friday.

According to Mr Ojelabi, Ms Shobowale’s death is a tremendous loss to the party, the state, and the people of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.

Mr Ojelabi, who highlighted her numerous contributions to the community, described her as a visionary leader, compassionate administrator, and dedicated public servant.

He said, “Chief Shobowale’s commitment to the well-being of her people was evident in her various initiatives that benefitted the residents of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA. Her leadership and legacy will never be forgotten, and her memory will continue to inspire strength and peace.

Before her illness, she was a devoted servant of the people, a seasoned administrator, and a loyal party member. The Lagos APC, the community, her friends, and her family will deeply miss her vibrancy.’’.

Mr Ojelabi added that Ms Shobowale’s passing left a profound void in the community she served with unwavering commitment.

He noted that her transformative leadership and dedication to grassroots development were widely respected.

The party chairman, who prayed for strength for her family and loved ones, said, “The Lagos State APC will deeply miss her contributions to the party and the state.”

Ms Shobowale was the third executive chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA before she surrendered to the cold hands of death on Friday after battling an undisclosed illness for a long time.

The Supreme Court has set aside the December 22, 2024 majority judgment of the Court of Appeal in Enugu sacking Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji was unanimous, in a judgment on Friday, that both the High Court of Enugu State and Court of Appeal in Enugu lacked the jurisdiction to have heard the suit.

Justice Jamilu Tukur, in the lead judgment, held that the issues in the suit filed by Emmanuel Aniagwu at the HIgh Court of Enugu State bordered on matters relating to internal affairs of the PDP which are not justiciable and over which no courts have jurisdiction.

Justice Tukur also held that Anyanwu’s participation in the last governorship election in Imo State, as the candidate of the PDP was pursuant to the approval of the party’s leadership as against the claim by Aniagwu.

He also found that Aniagwu lacked the locus standi (the legal right) to have instituted the suit having not shown the injury he suffered and how Anyanwu’s conduct affected him personally, describe him as a busy body and an interloper.

Justice Tukur also noted that S. K. E. Ude-Okoye, who would have been the beneficiary of the case, was not made a party.

He affirmed the minority judgment of the Enugu division of the Court of Appeal, delivered by Justice Ekanem, where he held that the court was without the requisite jurisdiction to heard the case.

Justice Tukur proceeded to strike out the suit filed by Aniagwu before the High Court of Enugu State for want of jurisdiction.