The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday inaugurated its Local Government and Ward Caretaker Committees in Nkanu West, strengthening the party’s grassroots structure ahead of future political engagements.
The exercise, held at the Nkanu West Local Government Headquarters, was supervised by the Enugu State APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, who applauded stakeholders and party members for their consistent support and commitment to party growth in the area.
Stakeholders from across Nkanu West were in full attendance, underscoring renewed efforts to reposition the APC for stronger organization and strategic relevance.
Hosting the delegation, the Executive Chairman of Nkanu West Local Government, Hon. John Ogbodo, commended the state leadership for its work in rebuilding party structures.
He also lauded the Governor of Enugu State for “ongoing developmental strides and numerous interventions” benefiting the people of Nkanu West, adding that the local government remains prepared to reciprocate the governor’s gestures “at the appropriate time.”
The inauguration included the formal presentation and affirmation of newly appointed officers across the local government and ward levels. They were charged to serve with integrity, discipline, and loyalty to party ideals.
Monday’s exercise marks a key step in consolidating the APC’s administrative foundation in Nkanu West as the party intensifies efforts to bolster its presence and operational efficiency at the grassroots.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the political platform under which he rose to prominence as senator and later governor.
The governor announced his decision in a post on his official X handle late on Monday, attaching a copy of his resignation letter dated November 4, 2025.
The letter was addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde, in Ede North Local Government, Osun State.
In the letter, Adeleke cited the ongoing crisis within the PDP’s national leadership as the reason for his departure.
“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party with immediate effect,” he wrote.
The governor expressed gratitude to the party for providing him the platform to serve, first as Senator representing Osun West (2017–2019) and later as Governor of the state.
“I thank the Peoples Democratic Party for the opportunity given to me for my election as Senator and as Governor of Osun State under the PDP,” Adeleke added.
The attached letter indicates that the ward chairman had received the resignation on November 4. However, Adeleke did not disclose the political party he intends to join following his exit from the PDP.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the list of ambassadorial nominees submitted to the National Assembly for approval, saying it contained names of many people widely perceived negatively by Nigerians and the global community.
This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the party, Ini Ememobong, in Abuja on Saturday.
In addition to the names of three nominees sent to the Senate on Wednesday for screening, President Bola Tinubu had earlier on Saturday nominated another 32 Nigerians for ambassadorial positions.
Some of the nominees are the immediate past INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri.
Former governors of Enugu and Abia states, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, are also on the list.
Mr Ememobong described some of the nominees as disgraced propagandists, characterless politicians, and public officials, who are known for their integrity deficit and notable anti-democratic activities.
He said while most Nigerians are seriously appalled by the inclusion of most of the nominees, they are not totally surprised, given the history and disposition of the Tinubu administration.
Read the full statement
PRESS RELEASE
AMBASSADORIAL LIST: SCANDALOUS AND REFLECTIVE OF PRESIDENTIAL VALUES
The Peoples Democratic Party strongly condemns the list of Ambassadorial nominees as submitted by President Bola Tinubu. This list contains the names of many people (disgraced propagandists, characterless politicians, and public officials) who are widely perceived negatively by Nigerians and the global community, for their integrity deficit and notable anti-democratic activities. This development is not just a sad commentary on our country’s history of diplomatic representation; it is very reprehensible and scandalous.
While most Nigerians are seriously appalled by the inclusion of most of the nominees, they are not totally surprised, given the history and disposition of this administration. Furthermore, it is an incontestable fact that a nominee is a clear and direct reflection of the values and estimation of the nominator.
By making these nominations, the President has shown Nigerians that these are the best people he has to represent our country in the countries where they will be posted.
That it took the President almost three years to produce this list speaks to the paucity of excellent people within his reach.
Specifically, we convey the disappointment of many right-thinking Nigerians on the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate-past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose administration of our electoral umpire was characterised by countless double-speaks, flip-flops, and undelivered promises, which ultimately resulted in the birth of this administration, which is struggling in all areas of governance.
To offer him an ambassadorial appointment at a time like this is an excellent exemplar of a skewed reward system, which we suspect is designed as an incentive to the new INEC Chairman, to also deliver flawed elections in 2027, in expectation of future rewards. This is absolutely scandalous and completely unacceptable.
May we remind the President and all Nigerians that the respect a country gets from other countries cannot be separated from the integrity profile and public perception of both the President and the Ambassadors. So, appointing and sending ambassadors with tainted political profiles is not only a great disservice to Nigeria but a setup for a diplomatic all-time low.
To this end, we demand that President Bola Tinubu withdraw the said list and renominate only those with stellar democratic credentials and high moral standing, capable of commanding global respect for the ambassadorial assignments.
The simmering leadership crisis in the Enugu chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) assumed a new dimension on Friday after Barr. Steve Oruruo declared that both a subsisting court judgment and the PDP Constitution have conclusively settled the question of who leads the party in the state.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing, Oruruo said the ruling in Suit No. E/1267/2025 of the Enugu State High Court expressly affirmed him as the lawful PDP Chairman in Enugu, with Hon. Martins Onyeanwa Ugwuamadi-Eze as the substantive Secretary. He noted that the judgment, rooted in Sections 45(2–4) and 47(6) of the party’s constitution, clearly states that the deputy chairman automatically assumes office once a chairman resigns or is removed.
He explained that the judgment was duly transmitted to the PDP National Secretariat through former Acting National Chairman Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, compelling the national leadership to recognise the state executive as constituted. The court, he added, also restrained the National Executive Committee from appointing anyone else into the offices of chairman or secretary and ordered the former occupants to hand over all party property—an order he said has been obeyed.
Oruruo said he convened the briefing in response to what he described as an “increasing volume of discordant tunes” within the party. He condemned the motion passed at the Ibadan Convention seeking to dissolve the Enugu State Executive Committee, calling it illegal, unconstitutional, and a violation of the court’s ruling. He noted that the same officials purportedly dissolved were accredited and permitted to vote at the convention, further exposing the contradiction.
Against this backdrop, Oruruo described the motion at the Ibadan Convention to dissolve the state executive as fundamentally illegal.
He said:
“The motion… was not only misguided and prejudiced but a cruel travesty of justice.”
He questioned the validity of the move, noting that the same officials purportedly dissolved were accredited and allowed to vote during the convention, despite their positions being affirmed by both party constitution and court judgment.
Oruruo insisted that the convention’s action is void ab initio because it violates both a clear judicial order and the explicit constitutional provisions governing leadership succession in the party.
He insisted the attempted dissolution is null and contemptuous of court, stating: “Whoever purportedly dissolved the Executive Committee of the Enugu PDP is in clear contravention of the law and in contempt of an Order of Court.”
Reasserting his mandate, Oruruo said: “Make no mistake about this; I am both the de facto and de jure State Chairman of Enugu State PDP and no fairytale can distort this fact.” He anchored his claim on constitutional succession, judicial affirmation, and the state congress of August 31, 2024.
He dismissed claims of a newly formed “state committee,” describing it as an illegitimate cluster attempting to destabilize the PDP in Enugu. Such actions, he warned, reflect a pattern of impunity and represent a “colossal national liability.”
He described the group as: “a gathering of questionable elements…pegged against all known principles, entrenched values and vision of the Peoples Democratic Party.”
Responding to questions, Oruruo said he approached the court to protect his mandate following attempts to take over the party’s leadership structure. He maintained that he leads a unified and legitimate PDP, not a faction, and rejected allegations of being a government stooge, citing his years of service and sacrifice in the party. He urged security agencies to prevent any degeneration into violence.
Issuing a warning, he said anyone parading themselves as chairman or secretary of the Enugu PDP is acting in contempt of Suit No. E/1267/2025 and will face appropriate consequences. He asked party members to stay alert and insisted that the court-backed leadership must be respected to avert further internal sabotage.
Recall that at the national convention of the PDP held in Ibadan on November 15, 2025, the party dissolved all party structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States.
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has officially joined the African Democratic Congress, months after leaving the All Progressives Congress.
The former governor registered with the ADC and collected his membership card at the party office in U/Sarki Ward, Kaduna State.
Recall that on March 10, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory cited a widening disconnect between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his defection.
In his resignation letter, El-Rufai openly criticised the APC’s leadership, accusing the party of abandoning the progressive ideals upon which it was founded.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” El-Rufai had stated.
He revealed that he had repeatedly raised concerns about the party’s trajectory, both privately and publicly, over the past two years, but his warnings were ignored by the APC leadership.
El-Rufai, who was instrumental in the 2013 merger of opposition parties that led to the formation of the APC, lamented that the party had lost its original vision. Punch
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has officially registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress in Adamawa State, signalling a major development in Nigeria’s opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The registration took place on Monday, following Atiku’s announcement to ADC supporters and stakeholders in Adamawa over the weekend.
Abdul Rasheeth, an aide to the former vice president, had confirmed the development in a statement obtained by PUNCH Online.
Videos and photos from the event showed Atiku’s convoy arriving in the town to the cheers of supporters, who beat drums, sang, and carried placards with his image.
Atiku waved and greeted well-wishers from his vehicle as he received his ADC membership card.
In a brief X (Formerly Twitter) post on his handle shorty after his registration, Atiku wrote,” It’s official. -AA”
This move formalises Atiku’s association with the coalition party, which he had previously endorsed in July as a platform for opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Babachir Lawal, to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Until now, Atiku and other opposition leaders had delayed their formal registration with the ADC.
The former vice president’s registration is expected to strengthen the party’s profile and consolidate the opposition ahead of the next general election. Punch
There was heightened tension in Abuja on Wednesday as armed police operatives sealed off the National Headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Wadata Plaza, Garki.
The security personnel, deployed in multiple patrol vans, took positions around the complex in the early hours of the day, restricting movement in and out of the premises.
Staff members, journalists, and party supporters who arrived for routine activities were turned back by officers who said they were acting on “orders from above.”
The development comes amid a widening leadership tussle within the opposition party, with rival factions laying claim to the control of the National Working Committee (NWC), and the call on President Donald Trump of the United States of America, by the newly elected national chairman of the party, Kabiru Turaki, to ‘come and save Nigeria’s democracy.’
PACESETTER reports that yesterday, following the suspension of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and others from the party during the party’s ibadan convention which produced a new national chairman, a faction loyal to Wike, had clashed with the Turaki-led faction at Wadata Plaza, before the latter eventually gained control of the party secretariat
Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State have been expelled from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the factional National Executive Committee loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to reports, the expulsion was ratified on Tuesday after the heated confrontation between both camps at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where the two factions had scheduled parallel NEC and Board of Trustees meetings.
Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; former National Vice Chairman of the party, Bode George, and the recently elected party National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, were also expelled after the NEC meeting, which took place at the national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.
The factional NEC further dissolved the state executive councils in Oyo, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, and Ekiti States.
It directed the constitution of caretaker committees and the conduct of fresh congresses.
“NEC received the report of the Acting National Chairman, Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed, detailing breaches of Articles 58(1) and 59(1), including anti-party activities, disobedience to court orders, and conduct bringing the party into disrepute.
“NEC approved the commencement of disciplinary procedures against the following: Adolphus Wabara, Olabode George, Ben N. Obi, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, Bala Mohammed, Oluseyi Makinde, Dauda Lawal, Taofiq Arapaja, Setonji Koshoedo, Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel, Woyengikuro Daniel, Mohammed Kadade Suleiman, Emmanuel Ogidi, Sumaila Adamu Burga, Umar Sani, Udom Emmanuel, and Emmanuel Enorden,” a communiqué from the meeting, read by National Secretary Senator Sam Anyanwu, reads.
Kabiru Turaki, the newly elected national chairman of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP), has postponed the party’s inaugural National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to Wednesday.
Mr Turaki, a former minister of special duties, announced the postponement while addressing governors, members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), and other stakeholders who had already gathered at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja for the meeting.
He explained that the decision was taken due to the chaos that erupted earlier at the secretariat.
“I told him (FCT Police Commissioner) that we are coming here today to have our inaugural NWC meeting and I told him that our leaders would be here to witness this historic moment and I also told him that you’ll see in the social media some flyers purporting to give notice of NEC and BoT by people who are no longer members of this party. And he assured us he’s going to protect us, he assured us that he’s going to provide security for us to conduct our meeting.
“I’m happy that the Commissioner of Police of the FCT had fulfilled his promise. He had made sure that we gained entry into our secretariat and we’re here addressing the gentlemen of the press. However, due to some incidents that have occurred by these people who are the enemies of progress, who are the enemies of democracy, we have decided that this meeting will be postponed till tomorrow,” he said.
Mr Turaki further stated that the PDP under his leadership is prepared to defend the party at all costs, even if it requires laying down our lives for its progress.
He insisted that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, embattled National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, factional Chairperson, Mohammed Abdulrahman; and others suspended during the Ibadan convention are no longer members of the PDP.
The chairperson also accused Mr Wike’s faction of instigating the chaos at the secretariat, including the teargas fired at party members, which he claimed was done by security forces allegedly sponsored by the faction.
Violence broke out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters in Abuja, forcing police to fire teargas to disperse supporters amid an ongoing leadership tussle between rival factions of the party.
Chaos broke out at Wadata Plaza as Governor Seyi Makinde, Bala Mohammed, and the Turaki-led executive arrived, triggering clashes with police and supporters of Senator Anyanwu’s faction who tried to block their entry.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has also arrived at Wadata Plaza but is yet to alight from his car, where he has remained for over 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed are still at the premises. The two governors briefed journalists, recounting their ordeal, including the teargas fired by police and the resistance they faced from supporters of Senator Anyanwu’s faction.
Channels Television earlier reported that heavy security was deployed to the PDP national headquarters in Abuja as two rival factions, each claiming authentic leadership of the party, prepare to hold separate meetings at the same location.
Anyanwu–led NWC first arrived at the PDP national headquarters, with Anyanwu insisting he remains the party’s national secretary until his tenure expires in December and settling into his office despite the brewing leadership dispute.
When asked whether he invited the security operatives who had barricaded major sections outside the premises, Anyanwu confirmed that he did.
He explained that it is the PDP’s usual practice to call in security personnel whenever a meeting of such magnitude is scheduled, in order to maintain law and order.
He added that the security personnel were also on standby to deal with any “intruders,” a remark clearly directed at the Turaki-led exco, which had also announced plans to hold its own meeting at the Wadata Plaza headquarters. Channels TV
The newly elected chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, has pledged to ensure that power returns to the Nigerian people.
Turaki, while giving his acceptance speech after the swearing-in of the new officers at the end of the Elective Convention of the PDP in Ibadan, early Sunday morning, November 16, assured that there will be “no more impunity, no more suppression of the will of Nigerians”.
According to him, the new leadership of the party would be open to listening to the yearnings of members, with a view to aligning with their will, declaring that “No more monkey dey work, baboon dey chop,” adding that “if baboon wants to chop, baboon must be seated to work.”
He noted that the PDP has maintained its original name, motto and logo, unlike the other parties that started with it, making it a recognised brand anywhere in Nigeria.
While underscoring the need for fairness, transparency and justice, he said, “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.”
He hinted that the new executive body was not under the illusion that the task ahead was easy, acknowledging that the PDP was at a crossroads but assured that the new leadership was capable to deliver.
Turaki promised that in the days ahead, the guiding principles and modus operandi for the party’s effective operation would be announced. He assured aggrieved members that the process of addressing their grievances would commence promptly in the most amicable ways possible.
The chairman used the occasion to appeal to the judiciary to uphold the principles of stare decisis, abiding by the decisions of the Supreme Court, and not to “willingly or unwillingly put yourselves in a situation where, rightly or wrongly, it may be assumed, correctly or incorrectly, that you are part and parcel of the process to truncate Nigerian democracy.”
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the inauguration of the new leadership of the PDP, the new National Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Ini Ememobong, reechoed the position of the chairman that the new dispensation in PDP “is that of reconciliation, renaissance or a rebirth, like raising a new building from an old foundation, where we have a legacy of strength; a legacy of consensus, collectivity, fairness and justice.”
“That is the direction we are going,” he added.
Stressing the critical necessity of deepening Nigeria’s democracy, Comrade Ememobong said, “If we do not have a vibrant opposition, then you will just have elections that lead to authoritarianism, where you have elections, but those elections do not lead to democratic consolidation.”
According to him, “Beyond what is good for PDP, we are looking for what is good for Nigeria. Our democratic consolidation is critical on our mind.”
Asked to speak on the expulsion of some key figures in the PDP, like Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose, among others, the Publicity Secretary explained that it was the decision of the convention, based on a history of wrongdoings against the party.
He observed that the generality of the people are not satisfied with the quality of Nigeria’s current democratic experience, “They do not have faith in it, which has led to the judicialisation of elections, because people have lost faith in the electoral processes.”
While Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, emerged as Chairman of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP; Alh. Hamza Koshe was elected Deputy National Chairman (North); and Dr. Daniel Ambrose Woyengikuro became Deputy National Chairman (South).
Other elected NWC members: Arapaja Taofeek Gbola-Oladeko, National Secretary; Ihediwa Richard Nnabugwu, Deputy National Secretary; Isa Abubakar, National Treasurer; Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel, National Financial Secretary; and Hon. Theophilus Daka Snan, National Organising Secretary.
Apart from Comrade Ini Ememobong, as National Publicity Secretary, others elected were Aribisala Adewale Idowu, National Auditor; Baratu Shafi, National Legal Adviser; Ogbu Anthonia Chenyenwa, National Women Leader; and Umar Dan Aji, National Youth Leader.
Also elected were Solarin Sunday Adekunle, Deputy Organising Secretary; Farida Umar Hamid, Deputy National Publicity Secretary; Aigbokhavbo Harrison Omagbon, Deputy National Treasurer; Hamsatu Adamu, Deputy National Women Leader; Hon. Tina Puna Musa, Deputy National Financial Secretary; Usamatu Maharazu, Deputy National Auditor; and Elec-Njaka Chikere, Deputy National Youth Leader.
The Elective National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) currently ongoing in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ratified the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from the party.
Also expelled from the party alongside Wike were former Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, and the embattled suspended National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
The convention also expelled the former National Legal Adviser of the party, Mr Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN; Senator Mao Ohuabunwa; George Turner and Hon Umar Bature; Alaba Turnah, among others.
This is also as the party has dissolved the entire party structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states.
Former Deputy Chairman (South) of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, who moved the motion for the expulsion of Wike and others, declared that the decision came against the backdrop of various activities they engaged in aimed at destroying the party.
The party said the decision, which was promptly ratified by an overwhelming majority of delegates present, underscored the party’s commitment to eradicating internal divisions and anti-party conduct that have plagued its progress.
PDP Dissolves Party Structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states
The decision was confirmed as host governor Seyi Makinde moved a motion to ratify and approve elected executive committees of the PDP at various levels in states and zones where congresses have already been concluded.
The motion was presented at the elective national congress, the party’s highest decision-making organ.
Governor Makinde explained that congresses were held across the country between 2024 and 2025 to elect party executives at the ward, local government, state, and geopolitical zone levels, including national ex-officio members.
He noted that the congresses were conducted freely, fairly, and substantially in compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, the PDP constitution, and party guidelines in all geopolitical zones and most states.
He added that the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) had approved the congresses and the officers elected during the process.
However, Makinde said that all structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers have now been dissolved.
He stated, “In the case of Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers, the Convention hereby dissolves all party structures at the ward, local government, and state levels.
“The Convention has authorized the publication of this decision to serve as official notice to the public.”
The motion was seconded by Daniel Obiechina Okechukwu, National Auditor and member of the PDP National Working Committee, at the convention.
