Category: Politics

Wike while speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Monday, also declared that he will spearhead President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027, directly challenging critics questioning his commitment to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) when he claims to be a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while describing himself as one of the PDP’s most loyal members.

He also criticised a senior party member, Chief Bode George, over unpaid ground rent in Abuja.

“I am still in the PDP. I have not seen anyone brave enough to tell me, ‘You’re not a PDP member.’ Who can say that? What have they done for the party that is more than what I’ve done?,” he asked.

The minister recently vacated about 5,000 land titles in Abuja for unpaid fees, which one of these plots belongs to Bode George.

“Bode George is number 3092 on the list. His land was listed for not paying fees for ten years. At his level? At his level?,” he said

Wike mocked George’s political achievements in Lagos, “Since 1999, PDP in Lagos has not won even one seat in the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, or Senate. And you say the party made you? No, you make the party strong by your work.”

Although still in PDP, Wike said his main focus is supporting President Bola Tinubu’s government, “The only person I answer to is Mr. President. I am working to support this government and make positive changes.”

Wike who repeated his famous tough stance, said, “I enjoy stepping on the toes of big men. When they say ‘nothing will happen,’ I say ‘something will happen.’ And it will happen.

“Just because we go to the same church or mosque, you think you can break the rules? No. That kind of thinking is ruining this country.”

Wike further said that no one can remove him from PDP, “I have worked hard for this party. Nobody, I mean nobody, can tell me I don’t belong here.”

I Will Lead Tinubu’s 2027 Campaign To Deliver FCT, Rivers — Wike

While the former Vice President expressed confidence in the coalition’s ability to defeat the APC in the 2027 elections, the PDP pointed to widespread dissatisfaction with Tinubu’s governance and economic policies.

Mazi Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, stated that the coalition remains unfazed by the endorsements, likening the situation to a student who has prepared thoroughly for an examination.

He said: “When you’ve prepared diligently for an exam, you can sleep soundly the night before, waking up assured of success. That’s the position of our coalition.

“Nigerians are the ultimate judges. Their endorsements will determine the outcome, not the political manoeuvrings of the ruling party. The recent endorsements reveal the panicked state of this administration. Insecurity is at an unprecedented level, with territories being reclaimed by insurgents in Borno State and other regions. The cost of living is unbearable. Families struggle to feed themselves, access healthcare, or send their children to school. As school fees are due, many are weighed down by these burdens. Yet, the government has done little to address these challenges, choosing instead to focus on political games.”

He also accused Tinubu’s administration of using anti-corruption agencies to pressure opposition figures into joining the APC.

“These defections are not driven by ideology or preference for the APC. Politicians are being held hostage and compelled to defect. Some of these individuals are being targeted for corruption, both by former governors and the current administration. They are being pressured to pay a ransom, which manifests as defections. This is what happened in Delta State and elsewhere. Even the so-called ‘quiet bomb’ that has been hinted at is a result of crimes committed by their predecessors. These are being used as leverage to shake them down, hold them hostage, and negotiate their defection to the ruling party.”

On his part, the National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Umar Bature, said endorsements don’t guarantee victory.

He recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan had the endorsements of 21 governors in 2014 but still lost the election.

Bature said: “Tinubu has 22 endorsements. There’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a matter of time. The issue isn’t endorsement; the issue is whether you’ve done the right thing for the country. Endorsements are merely cosmetic. People resort to them when they know they’re not serving the interests of the people they claim to represent.

“There is no crisis. Members are simply expressing their views. If they say they want to leave the party, time will tell. These matters will resolve themselves.” Vanguard

In a statement issued on Sunday, Wike traced the roots of the PDP’s internal turmoil to the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, lamenting what he described as a steady decline into “dishonesty and lack of trust amongst its key stakeholders.”

“Since after the 2023 General Election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another,” Wike said, noting that several efforts had been made to “arrest this pernicious virus of dishonesty and treachery.”

Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and a key member of the influential G5 group, blamed Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for sabotaging reconciliation efforts, accusing him of being the “architect of our problems.”

“I made it clear to the Governor of Oyo State, HE, Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect of our problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly,” Wike stated.

He disclosed that during a G5 meeting in Lagos, the governors had resolved to bury the hatchet and move forward.

This was followed by a broader meeting in Abuja at Senator Bukola Saraki’s guest house, involving other top PDP figures including Governors Bala Mohammed, Umaru Fintiri, and Makinde, alongside Saraki himself.

According to Wike, the Abuja meeting yielded a set of clear resolutions, including recognition of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary in line with a Supreme Court judgment, the withdrawal of all court cases relating to Rivers State by the party’s National Legal Adviser, and an end to cases about state of emergency in Rivers.

But Wike said the resolutions were quickly and brazenly violated, even before the Saraki-led reconciliation committee could begin its work.

“To my chagrin, Seyi Makinde had connived with Peter Mba of Enugu State to orchestrate the summoning of the meeting of so-called South-East leaders to recommend that if Ude Okoye was not adopted as Secretary, they would pull out of the PDP,” he alleged.

Wike also accused party officials of attempting to sideline Anyanwu by presenting the Deputy National Secretary as acting National Secretary, and using a letter from him to call for a National Executive Committee meeting, moves Wike said were “in complete violation of the agreements reached.”

He cited an incident on May 24, 2025, in Jos, where a PDP zonal elective congress was aborted because INEC refused to attend.

The reason, he said, was because the letter of invitation was signed by the Deputy National Secretary, not the duly recognised National Secretary.

“This is undeniably distasteful, provocative and annoying, to say the least,” Wike declared.

Reflecting on his long association with the PDP since 1998, Wike expressed dismay that those he helped rise to political prominence had turned against him.

“It is on record that none of these persons have done anything close to what I have done to sustain this party.

“What is more painful is that I contributed substantially to most of these governors winning their elections, yet I have not made any personal demands on any of them and I would never do so,” he said.

Declaring a turning point, Wike said he had lost faith in the trust and camaraderie that once existed among party stakeholders and would no longer participate in any further reconciliation deals.

“I have now firmly decided to pull out of all agreements hitherto reached. I have decided to fight on until justice is attained,” the FCT minister concluded.

The PDP has yet to issue an official response to Wike’s latest position as of the time of filing this report.

Despite his relationship with the promoters of a coalition of opposition political parties who are seeking to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has told his supporters that he would contest the next presidential election on the party’s platform.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Obi; former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and others had on March 20 in Abuja announced the formation of a coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

However, with Atiku’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Obi’s LP mired in internal political crises, the prospects of unity in the opposition have remained uncertain.

Speaking to a group of young supporters in a seven-minute, 16-second video, which was circulated yesterday on the LP’s WhatsApp platform, Obi accused the APC-led government of being behind the crises in the two main opposition parties – PDP and the LP.

The former Anambra State governor narrated how the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, had forced the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to resolve its internal crisis.

When contacted by THISDAY, Obi’s spokesman, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, and the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, confirmed the authenticity of the video.
Obi explained to his audience that what appears to be an internal crisis in the two dominant opposition political parties has the government’s imprint written all over them.

In response to a question on which platform he intended to contest the 2027 election, Obi said: “I will continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”

While answering another question from a youth who was disturbed about what appears to be Obi’s aloofness towards the LP’s crisis, the former Anambra State Governor said: “What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government. Quote me anywhere.

“We had a problem in our party (APGA) in the past. Yar’Adua was the president. I went to him then; he called the INEC Chairman (Prof. Maurice Iwu) and told him ‘I don’t want any problem in any party.’ We were forced to fix it.

“But today, in all the parties, there are problems. These are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity.

“Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition,” he explained.

Obi charged Nigerians to take responsibility for ensuring that their votes count, adding that even if agents are paid by political parties to look after their interests, the ultimate decision about the people’s votes counting rests with voters.

He appealed to Nigerian youths and the electorate not to be discouraged because positive change would also be resisted by those who are beneficiaries of the old order.

Obi equally noted that left to him, there should be a retirement age for politicians seeking public office.

He explained further that by the time the 2027 election holds, he would be 65 years old, adding that he would not want to be contesting for elections in his 70s.

The Obidient Movement had last week dismissed speculation that Obi was set to run as a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku in a new coalition being formed ahead of the 2027 elections.

The statement signed by the Director of Strategic Communication and Media for the Obidient Movement, Nana Kazaure, firmly declared that the report lacked any basis in fact and did not reflect Obi’s current political position or objectives.

While confirming that discussions about possible coalition were ongoing, the group stressed that Obi’s priority remained to forge a united front to address Nigeria’s deep-seated challenges, including corruption, bad governance, hunger, poverty, and the growing population of out-of-school children.
“This is not about power for power’s sake,” the statement read.

“It’s about building a politics that stands with the people and serves them.”

The Obidient Movement also affirmed that Obi remains a member of the LP, adding that if that ever changes, the former Anambra State Governor would announce it himself. Arise News

The appointments were made on Saturday evening via a list posted by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956.

The appointees include former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim; former Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema; former Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu; and former Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Isa Aremu.

Nnamani from Enugu State was named Chairman of the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS); former Governor Shema named Chairman of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), while former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim from Ebonyi State was appointed Chairman of the National Merit Awards.

Former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu was appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Sports, reinforcing the administration’s focus on youth development and sports promotion.

A renowned labour activist and former Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) from Kwara State, Isa Aremu, was appointed Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies.

At the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), President Tinubu approved the appointment of Yazid Shehu Umar Danfulani from Zamfara State as Managing Director.

He is to work alongside Abubakar Umar Jarengol from Adamawa State, who was named Executive Director (Operation/Technical), and Babaranti Ayandayo Rasheed from Osun State as Executive Director (Finance and Administration).

In the area of women and social development, Dr. Asabe Vilita Bashir from Borno State was appointed Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development, while Omobolanle Akinyemi-Obe from Ondo State was named Director-General of the National Senior Citizens Centre, Abuja.

The President also appointed Dr. Segun Aina from Osun State as Director-General of the Academic Staff College of Nigeria, a key institution for academic development and retraining in the tertiary education sector.

At the National Population Commission, Senator Jalo Zarami, from Yobe State and Dr. Joseph Haruna Kigbu from Nasarawa State were appointed Federal Commissioners, as part of efforts to strengthen national data systems and population planning.

From Kano State, Hamza Ibrahim Baba was appointed National Program Manager of the Government Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Program (GEEP), a federal initiative supporting small businesses and informal sector enterprises.

Abubakar Adamu from Benue State was named Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, while Mohammed Lawal Ibrahim of Kogi State and Abdullahi Mohammed of Katsina State were appointed Executive Directors (Finance/Admin) and (Monitoring and Implementation), respectively, at the Nigeria–Sao Tome Joint Development Authority.

Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura from Zamfara State was named Director-General of the Centre for Citizenship and Leadership Training, an agency tasked with promoting leadership values and civic education.

Senator Kabir Abdullahi Barkiya from Katsina was appointed Chairman of the Nigerian Agricultural Land Development Authority, while Dr. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu from Kaduna State was appointed Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education.

Also on the list is Professor Almustapha Alhaji Aliyu from Sokoto State, who was appointed Managing Director of NNPC Gas Marketing Limited (NGML), a critical subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

The new appointees are all expected to bring strategic oversight and political depth to their new roles.

Nwosu replaced the party’s governorship candidate, a former chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade Patrick Obianyo, during the party’s governorship substitution primary election held yesterday in Awka, the state capital.

The returning officer of the primary election, Chief Anayo Arinze and the ADC’s national organising secretary, Ibrahim Suleiman, supervised the exercise which was also attended by a team of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Awka.

Nwosu told the delegates and the other party stalwarts that what is driving his passion to become governor of the state is to enthrone good governance that would transform the state into its desired status.

He declared the if elected, his development blueprint would focus on seven pillars, namely: security, health, education, economy, agriculture, ICT and agriculture.

He bemoaned the state of insecurity in the state saying that the incumbent governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo and his administration had shown lack of capacity and vision to initiate measures that would guarantee proper security of lives and property.

He described the newly introduced security initiatives of the government as ineffective and a hurried one to score cheap political point just because the governorship election is around the corner and he (Soludo) wants to be re-elected.

The ADC governorship candidate rather asserted that any security initiative that could guarantee effective security in the state should be Information Communication Technology (ICT)-driven such that closed-circuit television cameras are installed at strategic locations to monitor and take record of every movement in and out of the state as well as within the state. Leadership

The Governor has also appointed Gloria Ibrahim, a lawyer, as the Commissioner of Youth Development.

The appointments and redeployment are with immediate effect.

A rundown of the profiles of the appointees reveals that they are eminently qualified for their new tasks.

PROF. ABUBAKAR SANI SAMBO

The new Commissioner of Education is an accomplished academic, administrator and a recipient of the National Productivity Order of Merit (1997) and Officer of the Order of the Niger (2000).

A Professor of Energy Studies, he served as Vice Chancellor, Kaduna State University (2004), Vice Chancellor, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (1995 – 2004), and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (1990 – 1994). From 2005 to 2012, Prof. Sambo was the Director General, Energy Commission of Nigeria. In 2011, he was appointed Special Adviser to the President on Energy.

The erudite scholar has served on some high level panels and committees in Nigeria and at the international level. He was the Chairman, Nigerian Committee for Partnership with Brazil on Energy (2007 – 2008), Member, Tertiary Education Trust Fund Standing Committee on Research and Development and Coordinator of the Energy Thematic Group (2020), Member, ECOWAS Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Consultation Committee (2021), and Member, African Union High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (2022).

BARRISTER GLORIA IBRAHIM

The new Commissioner of Youth Development is a long standing legal practitioner and mediator. Before her appointment as Commissioner, she was a Principal Legal Practitioner at Glownom Legal Consult, Kaduna.

Barrister Gloria Gloria Ibrahim holds the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Certificate in Negotiation and Mediation, DICON Consulting, Empowerment and Management, Kaduna. She is a member of the Association of Professional Negotiators and Mediators (APNM), Child Protection Agency (CPN), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), and International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).

Governor Uba Sani expects Prof. Abubakar Sambo to reinvigorate the Education Ministry to deliver on his administration’s agenda, which is aimed at improving access to education, building and rehabilitating infrastructure, enhancing the capacity of teachers, harnessing the capacity of ICT, prioritising girl-child education and strengthening security in schools.

In line with his administration’s focus on refocusing and empowering Kaduna State youths to play vital roles in a fast changing and technologically-driven world, Governor Uba Sani expects Barrister Gloria Ibrahim to fashion out creative, innovative and implementable programmes and projects to make the Youth Development Ministry a leading center for high impact solutions for youth related issues.

While congratulating Prof. Abubakar Sambo and Barrister Gloria Ibrahim on their well deserved appointments, Governor Uba Sani wishes them God’s guidance and protection in their new assignments. Premium Times

According to a Bloomberg article, the trio reached the decision after a high-level meeting held on Tuesday, signalling the formal emergence of the long-anticipated political alliance.

An anonymous source said, confirming the outcome of the meeting, said, “They have adopted the African Democratic Party as the coalition party — all of them (Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai) are working together. They came to the conclusion last night up till the early hours of this morning. You know politicians meet when we are asleep.”

The source further disclosed that the meeting included other leaders and stakeholders who subsequently established committees tasked with ironing out the coalition’s details and logistics.

“All the leaders and stakeholders of the coalition were there. They set up committees to dot the Is and cross the Ts, while preparing the way for the eventual public unveiling of the coalition. But effectively, as we speak, the coalition has been born,” the insider added.

Though the coalition has yet to announce an official unveiling date, the source suggested it will happen “very soon”.

In light of this, an ARISE NEWS interview on Wednesday with former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, confirmed that while coalition talks were progressing, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not considered a viable platform for the arrangement.

When asked whether Atiku was moving to the ADC and why the PDP was not considered the coalition vehicle, Lawal described the PDP as “a house we cannot modify,” stressing that its internal problems were too deep-rooted for it to serve as a credible vehicle for change.

“In all the analysis I’ve seen so far, nobody has ever bothered about, ‘let’s adopt PDP as the platform.’ We all agree that PDP has an incurable virus. No antibiotic can cure what is ailing PDP, and we don’t want to go into a house that we cannot modify, that is not willing to change. So PDP is not in that list,” he said during an interview with ARISE News.

Lawal revealed that the technical committee driving the coalition project had been weighing two main options — to form a new political party, or to adopt an existing smaller party with a national spread and reform potential.

“Do we get another party that we could move into, modify it, upgrade it, and strengthen it for elections, or do we register a new political party? We have technical committees of experts looking into both of this. And I am sure, as we speak, we are getting to the end of the process, and I think we’ll soon announce a party that we’ll move into, or maybe we’ll register a new party,” he said.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by its Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure, the movement described the report as “entirely baseless” and “imaginary to the author”.

“The Obidient Movement has been inundated with calls from our members within and outside the country, including other members of the public, regarding a media publication claiming that our principal, Peter Obi, has been offered a running mate position to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the new coalition being formed ahead of 2027.

“Even though the publication is imaginary to the author, we find it appropriate to react in view of possible far-reaching misconceptions in the public space,” the statement read.

While acknowledging ongoing discussions with various political partners and stakeholders, the group insisted that such engagements are solely focused on addressing national challenges rather than power-sharing deals.

“Without any risk of contradiction, we would like to reiterate that Mr Obi has maintained that his objective and his involvement in a coalition is to provide a united front against and to tackle issues of bad governance, corruption, hunger, poverty, poor healthcare, out-of-school children, and the myriad of other problems daily afflicting the people of Nigeria,” the statement added.

“We want politics that is progressive, standing firmly with the people and serving the great people of Nigeria — not politics just for the sake of grabbing power.”

The movement further stressed that Mr Obi remains committed to the Labour Party, stating unequivocally, “At this point in time, Mr Peter Obi remains in the Labour Party, and if ever this changes, he will make that announcement himself.”

‘I’m In Coalition Against Poverty’

Earlier on Monday, Obi echoed a similar sentiment during a visit to the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kubwa in Abuja, where he reaffirmed his commitment to issue-based politics.

“I am in a coalition against hunger, in coalition against poverty, coalition against bad state of health. Politics for me is not about position, it is about doing the right thing,” Obi said during the meeting.

“In this country, we talk about politics and abandon what we should be talking about. What we should be talking about is how we are going to educate the children.”

Dismissing reports that he has agreed to serve as a running mate in 2027, the former Anambra State governor described such rumours as part of a “politics of selfish ambitions detrimental to the growth of the country”.

Obi, who finished third behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, has remained a central figure in Nigeria’s opposition politics, with many analysts speculating that a coalition involving Obi and Atiku could pose a formidable challenge in 2027.

However, both Obi and his supporters continue to distance themselves from any arrangements that do not prioritise national interest. Channels TV

Wike recently asked his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its presidential ticket to the South. This demand sparked suspicion in the polity that he might contest against Tinubu in 2027.

But in an interview with the BBC News Pidgin at the weekend, Wike said, “I will not contest. Why will I contest against someone I’m working for?”

He reaffirmed his loyalty to Tinubu’s administration, declaring that he had no intention of contesting against the man he was serving. The minister said there was currently no strong opposition figure capable of unseating the President.

“I will not contest again. I cannot contest against someone I am working with. Who will win except him?” Wike said.

“They said they would zone it to the South, let them zone first. When we get to the bridge, we will know how to cross it,” he added.

Speaking on the crisis in Rivers State, Wike, a former governor of the state said the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, remains his political son.

Wike said he cannot fight his son, refuting claims of a feud. He said the battle was not against Fubara, but those he claimed had been pushing the governor against him.

“That one is not a battle. He (Fubara) is my boy, he is my son, why will I fight with him? I’m only fighting against people who want to steal what they did not work for.

“Now, they are ashamed because they are being defeated. They are the ones pushing Fubara,” he said. Daily Trust