Headline

APC Ward Congresses End in Violence, Confusion

Published

8 years ago

May 6, 2018

Eric

The All Progressives Congress on Saturday held its nationwide congresses to elect new executives of the party at ward levels amidst protests and violence.

Leaders of the party across the country mobilised members to ensure that their loyalists were elected but not without stiff resistance from politicians, who belong to opposing camps within the party.

Odigie-Oyegun shuns poll

In Edo State, the congress was held across the 192 wards but the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, did not take part in the exercise at his ward 2 in the Oredo Local Government Area where he registered.

Efforts to reach Odigie-Oyegun for comments were unsuccessful but the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Mr. Chris Azebamwan, said, “Chief Odigie-Oyegun has more pressing issues begging his attention than the ward congress.

“That he was not physically present does not mean that he was not part of the process. He was not a candidate at the ward level, so he did not need to be physically present.”

Buhari votes in Daura

President Muhammadu Buhari joined other members of the APC in Katsina State to participate in the ward congress.

The State Governor, Aminu Masari, accompanied the President to the Bayajjida Model Primary School in Daura, venue of the congress.

The President interacted with party members at the venue where he further explained to them why he seeks a second term in office.

The chairman of the APC monitoring team for the state, Mr. Mohammed Zakari, said necessary machinery had been put in place by the party to address grievances and complaints.

Tinubu, Ambode commend peaceful conduct in Lagos

The National leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, applauded the peaceful conduct of the exercise in Lagos State.

He also urged members of the party in the state to report any complaint at the party headquarters, instead of taking the law into their hands.

Tinubu said he was impressed with the turnout of members at the ward congresses.

He said, “I am very happy and proud of our party, the APC. We are demonstrating to the people across the country that we are a law-abiding political party.

“Until the various officials conducting the congresses write their reports, my own decision is to continue to appeal to the party to conduct themselves peacefully and comply with the rule of law.”

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode also commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise across the 337 wards in the state.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, explained that Ambode stated this while participating in the exercise at his Ward A6 in Luyepo Primary School, Papa-Epe in Epe Local Government Area.

The governor lauded the party members for displaying a high level of maturity in the conduct of the party activities.

Abe supporters protest in Rivers

The exercise was inconclusive as of press time in Rivers State even as supporters of the senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, protested on major streets of Port Harcourt to condemn the exercise.

The protesters marched through the Eastern Bypass axis of the Rivers State capital, chanting war songs, even as they claimed that (they) Abe supporters were sidelined from the ward congresses in the state.

Abe, in a statement, said there was no ward congress in the 344 wards of the 23 local government areas in Rivers State.

He said there was no stakeholders’ meeting before the scheduled congress as promised by the leadership of the APC in the state.

Abe, who is also an APC governorship aspirant, said the leadership of the party in the state went against the guidelines of the exercise by allowing contestants to pick forms on the day of the ward congress.

Ondo SSG, NURTW boss disrupt poll

In Ondo State, the congress was marred by violence and other irregularities as many members of the party were allegedly prevented from participating in the exercise.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Sunday Abegunde, and the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Mr. Jacob Adebo, were fingered in the alleged irregularities.

Abegunde and Adebo allegedly led members of the NURTW, to some centres in various wards in Akure South Local Government Area of the state, to chase out some delegates who were not loyal to him.

Frantic efforts by one of our correspondents to speak with Abegunde and Adebo failed as of the time of this report.

But a member of the House of Representatives from the state, Mr. Afe Olowookere, said the exercise did not hold at his ward.

Olowookere said, “There was no congress in my ward, the SSG and the chairman of NURTW brought some armed NURTW men in buses and chased the legitimate delegates away and replaced them with hoodlums.

“They wounded some members and did not allow the congress to hold in all the centres in Akure South. When we discovered that, we appealed to all our members to leave in order to avoid loss of lives.

“Our members were attacked and wounded. I have called the deputy governor of the state and reported the development to him. I tried to reach Governor Rotimi Akeredolu but I couldn’t get him.”

Dogara loyalists tackle Governor Abubakar

A faction of the party in Bauchi State believed to be loyal to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, alleged that there was a ploy by the state Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, to deny candidates not loyal to him from participating in the exercise.

The Senator representing Bauchi North, Nazif Gamawa, made the allegation while speaking to newsmen at his residence.

He said, “Everybody prepared for the elections. We were fully ready. We paid about N13m to purchase the forms but to our greatest surprise we haven’t got the forms.

“It is also surprising that (members of) the committee charged with the responsibilities of conducting the election were nowhere to be found.”

The executives of the APC in the 274 wards in Niger State were returned unopposed on Saturday.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the police and other security agencies, provided security at the venue held in private residences for security reasons.

Osoba absent in Ogun

In Ogun State, the exercise was held in the 236 wards across the 20 Local Government Areas and the 37 Local Council Development Areas.

A former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba was, however, absent at his ward around Ogbe in the Abeokuta metropolis.

It will be recalled that some loyalists of the former governor attended a peace meeting with the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, at his Oke Mosan, Abeokuta office on Thursday, over the ward congress.

Both camps had agreed to close ranks and be part of the congress.

Addressing journalists on the telephone later on why he was absent, Osoba said, “It is not necessary for me to be at the ward congress.”

Also, Amosun, who addressed party supporters at the Ajura ward in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, urged party faithful to allow peace to reign during the congress, as witnessed in past congresses.

Congress postponed in Oyo over violence

The exercise was postponed to Sunday (today) in Oyo State after thugs disrupted the congress at the party secretariat in Oke-Ado area of Ibadan, with people sustaining injuries.

Trouble started shortly before the exercise started around 10am, as chairs were thrown at members in the hall during a stakeholders meeting while stones were also thrown into the venue by suspected thugs.

The Chairman of the party’s Local Government and Ward Congress Committee, Musa Halilu-Ahmed, said two members of the committee sustained injuries as a result of the attack.

The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu; Senator Monsurat Sumonu; a governorship aspirant of the party in the state, Adeolu Akande; and some elected federal legislators had to leave the venue for the state Police Command Headquarters in Eleyele area of Ibadan to lodge a complaint with the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude.

Members of the party later converged on the secretariat under tight security. Signs of cracks in the party became evident with some of the leaders being confronted by supporters despite Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s plea to those on the premises to allow peace to reign and for the meeting to proceed.

The governor said despite their differences, leaders of the party would always be united for the success of the party and for the sake of the electorate who looked up to them.

Son of a former governor in the state, Lamidi Adesina, Dapo Lam-Adesina, who is a member of the House of Representatives, was allegedly manhandled when he returned to the venue by unidentified persons.

Meanwhile, Shittu, Lam-Adesina and Sumonu had alleged that individuals loyal to Ajimobi carried out the attack at the state secretariat, saying they were targeted.

Their accusation was countered by the secretary of the party in the state, Mojeed Olaoya, who said in a statement he signed on behalf of the party that Shittu stormed the venue with 150 armed miscreants to unleash terror on members and disrupt the meeting.

Polls inconclusive in Abia

The Chairman of the APC in Abia State, Mr. Donatus Nwankpa, said the party’s ward and local government congress was extended to Sunday (today) due to a serious tension.

Nwankpa stated this while speaking with journalists at the party secretariat in Umuahia, the state capital.

He said the party leaders in the state met earlier in the day to resolve tension in the party to ensure that the congress was free, fair and credible.

He said, “We had a little tension in the party earlier. So, we thought there was a need for us to address areas of grievances and areas that will bring possible breakdown of law and order, because of what is happening in congress held in other states.”

Crisis mars conduct in Imo

The exercise was marred with crisis and confusion in Imo State as some unidentified thugs attacked the state party secretariat located at Imo State University junction in Owerri.

Apart from the fracas that marred the exercise, there were also allegations of hijacking of electoral materials.

At the height of the crisis, APC officials, posted to the state to conduct the exercise, fled to the police command headquarters in Owerri for refuge.

This is even as party chieftains, including senators Benjamin Uwajumogu, Hope Uzodimma, Osita Izunaso, and Ifeanyi Araraume, protested the development at the police command headquarters.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Chris Ezike, entered into a closed-door meeting with the APC leaders for five hours.

One of our correspondents gathered that separate congresses took place in most of the local government areas.

Parallel congresses in Ebonyi, Adamawa

Members of the party in Ebonyi State held parallel congresses in all the 171 wards in the state.

The congresses were conducted by the two rival factions headed by Pastor Eze Nwachukwu and Chief Ben Nwaobasi.

The faction, led by Nwaobasi, conducted its congresses in all the 171 wards across the state, while that of Nwachukwu were at the party’s secretariat waiting for the distribution of congress materials.

Nwaobasi alleged that the seven-member committee, appointed by the APC National Working Committee led by Mr. Ajayi Nicholas, was hijacked by the group loyal to a prominent party chieftain in the state.

Also, in Adamawa State, the Chairman of the state congress committee, Alhaji Musa Mahmud, announced the postponement of the exercise to Sunday.

Mahmud stated this shortly after a meeting with some stakeholders who protested that many candidates had yet to obtain the nomination forms to contest the election.

Some of the stakeholders that protested included a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal; Senator Abdulaziz Nyako; Sen. Abubakar MoAllayidi; Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Chief Marcus Gundiri.

Courtesy: The Punch

Headline

Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

17 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly, which President Bola Tinubu swiftly signed into law.

The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:

“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Some of the opposition leaders present in at the event include former Senate President David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, all from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, and other prominent members of the NNPP, notably Buba Galadima, were also in attendance.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure.

According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.

They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They characterised the polls as a “complete fraud” and said the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

They warned that increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed.

In their joint statement, the opposition parties pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic system.

On February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026 into law following its passage by the National Assembly. The Act introduced several reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and revised election timelines.

However, opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also called for further amendments, particularly over the manual transmission fallback clause, which critics say leaves room for manipulation.

The president said the law will strengthen democracy and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

Tinubu defended manual collation of results, questioned Nigeria’s readiness for full real-time electronic transmission, and warned against technical glitches and hacking.

The Electoral Act sparked intense debate in the National Assembly over how election results should be transmitted ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society groups under the “Occupy NASS” campaign demanded real-time transmission to curb manipulation.

In the Senate, lawmakers clashed during consideration of Clause 60, which allows manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a formal vote to remove the proviso permitting manual transmission, arguing against weakening real-time electronic reporting.

The move led to a heated exchange on the floor, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially suggesting the demand had been withdrawn.

After procedural disputes and a brief confrontation among senators, a division was conducted. Fifteen opposition senators voted against retaining the manual transmission proviso, while 55 supported it, allowing the clause to stand.

Earlier proceedings had briefly stalled during clause-by-clause review, prompting consultations and a closed-door session.

In the House of Representatives, a similar disagreement came up over a motion to rescind an earlier decision that mandated compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to IReV.

Although the “nays” were louder during a voice vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of rescinding the decision, triggering protests and an executive session.

Headline

AFP: How Tinubu’s Govt Paid Boko Haram ‘Huge’ Ransom, Released Two Terrorists for Kidnapped Saint Mary’s Pupils

Published

3 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a “huge” ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, an AFP investigation revealed Monday.

Two Boko Haram commanders were also freed as part of the deal, which goes against the country’s own law banning payments to kidnappers. The money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram’s Gwoza stronghold in northeastern Borno state on the border with Cameroon, intelligence sources told AFP.

The decision to pay the militants is likely to irritate US President Donald Trump, who ordered air strikes on jihadists in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day and has been sent military trainers to help support Nigerian forces.

Nigerian government officials deny any ransom was paid to the armed gang that snatched close to 300 schoolchildren and staff from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri in central Niger state on November 21. At least 50 later managed to escape their captors.

Boko Haram has not been previously linked to the kidnapping, but sources told AFP one of its most feared commanders was behind the mass abduction: the notorious jihadist known as Sadiku.

He infamously held up a train from the capital in 2022 and netted hefty ransoms for the release of government officials and other well-off passengers.

Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency since 2009, is strongest in northeast Nigeria.

But a cell in central Niger state operates under Sadiku’s leadership. The St. Mary’s pupils and staff were freed after two weeks of negotiations led by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, with the government insisting no ransom was paid. Nigeria’s State Security Service flatly denied paying any money, saying “government agents don’t pay ransoms”.

However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the pupils back. One source put it at 40 million naira per head – around $7 million in total.

Another put the figure lower at two billion naira overall. The money was delivered by chopper to Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in the northeast, three sources told AFP.

Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde had to cross into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.

Nigeria has long been plagued by mass abductions, with criminals and jihadist groups sometimes working together to extort millions from hostages’ families, and authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.

Source: Africanews

Headline

Unlawful Invasion: El-Rufai Drags ICPC, IGP, Others to Court, Demands N1bn Damages

Published

4 days ago

February 23, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for what he claimed was an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

El-Rufai, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.

According to the suit filed through his lawyers, led by Oluwole Iyamu, El-Rufai prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence as invalid, null and void.

Security operatives had stormed and searched the former Governor’s residence in the ongoing investigations against him.

However, he argued in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, that the search was in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution, and urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search.”

In the suit dated and filed February 20 by Iyamu, ex-governor, who is currently under detention, sought seven reliefs.

He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 at about 2pm and executed by agents of ICPC and I-G, “under the aforesaid invalid warrant, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.

“An order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”

The breakdown of the ₦1 billion in damages includes “a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security;

“A ₦400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights.

“A ₦300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”

He equally sought ₦100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.

Iyamu argued that the search warrant was fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause.

He added that the warrant violated Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act, 2000, and constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions and several other constitutional provisions.

“Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;

“Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to “all officers is overbroad and unaccountable.

“Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity,” he submitted.

Iyamu stated that the execution of the invalid warrant on Feb. 19 resulted in an unlawful invasion of his client’s premises, constituting violations of the rights to dignity (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36), and privacy (Section 37) of the Constitution.

He further argued that the search was conducted without legal justification and in a manner that inflicted humiliation and distress.

“Evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible, as established in judicial precedents such as C.O.P. v. Omoh (1969) NCLR 137, where the court ruled that evidence procured through improper means contravenes fundamental rights and must be excluded,” he said.

In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on Feb. 19 at about 2p.m., officers from the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about Feb. 4.

According to him, the said warrant is invalid due to its lack of specificity, errors, and other defects as outlined in the grounds of this application.

He said the “search warrant did not specify the properties or items being searched for.”

Shaba stated that the officers failed to submit themselves for search as provided by the law before proceeding with the search.

“That the Magistrate did not specify the magisterial district wherein he sits.

“That during the invasion, the officers searched the applicant’s premises without lawful authority, seized personal items including documents and electronic devices, and caused the applicant undue humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.

“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ Is the list of the items carted away.

“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.

“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce same,” Shaba said.

Source: Naijanews.com