Headline

Precious Chikwendu’s Allegations Malicious, Intended to Defame Me – Senator Folashade Bent

Published

5 years ago

August 5, 2021

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

A former representative of Adamawa South Senatorial zone in the Senate, Senator Grace Folashade Bent, has denied allegations leveled against her by a former wife of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Ms Precious Chikwendu, saying it was malicious and only intended to defame her.

Responding through a statement signed by her Public Relations Officer, Timothy Williams, the Senator maintained that at no time did she prevail on the estranged wife of the former minister to abandon her paternity suit as being peddled by Ms Chikwendu on social media platforms.

Noting that she had duly reported the matter to the Police as a responsible citizen, she stressed that she hardly knows Chikwendu except on one or two occasions of casual meeting.

Read the full statement:

Re: Precious Chikwendu’s malicious attempt to defame Senator Grace Folashade Bent CON.

Permit me to thank family, friends, honourable and distinguished members of the parliament, concerned Nigerians and the general public, who have made spirited and frantic solidarity efforts, to stand by Senator Grace Folashade Bent, on the occasion of a recent publication, which was patently intended to defame and denigrate her.

This publication, which was at the behest of one Ms. Precious Chikwendu has been making rounds on the internet and diverse social media platforms.

As a civil and law abiding citizen of Nigeria, the distinguished Senator immediately reported the matter to the Police, and investigation is ongoing.

For the records, a swift report had to be made to the relevant enforcement agency, because the publication alleged that the distinguished Senator was after the life of Ms. Precious Chikwendu.

This is a very weighty allegation of assassination tendencies and intendment.

The publication also alleged that Senator Grace Bent was out to pervert the course of justice by making efforts at muscling Ms. Precious Chikwendu to abandon her child custody suit.

This is another bold allegation of criminality and disregard for the rule of law which no citizen of Nigeria who knows his/her onions would be mute over.

Lastly the publication falsely alleged that the distinguished Senator is on an errand for Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and that they will together abusively activate the machineries of enforcement agencies against Miss Precious Chikwendu.

As earlier noted a complaint has been submitted for investigation bearing in mind that the publication was primarily meant to incite the public against the distinguished Senator and to criminally damage the reputation she has built over the years.

Senator Grace Bent is a mother to many and a grandmother who appreciates family values and mutual respect for all and sundry.

Her interface with Ms. Precious Chikwendu is not in any way significant, and is limited to about only two occasions.

This is the more reason it became imperative to lodge the complaint, because the suggestion that the Senator wants to murder her is dangerous, inexplicable and unfathomable.

Unfortunately, the witness referred to in the said publication is Mrs Binta Sambo Dasuki, of whom Col. Sambo Dasuki (her husband), and the husband of Senator Grace Bent, Chief Jackson Bent, have been very good friends and were military course mates for several decades.

These are relationships that have been maintained for several decades that the publication was carefully designed to prejudice.

Similarly, Senator Grace Bent and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the former Minister of Aviation who was once married to Precious Chikwendu, have been friends and political affiliates for many years, with mutual respect for each other.

Friends don’t deny each other, when they go through stormy waters.

Her utmost respect for the dignity of the Court, will not in the remotest terms, allow her to interfere with judicial process or the course of justice, whether in the custody case involving Chief Femi Fani–Kayode’s children or any other person.

Finally, Senator Grace Bent is consulting with her team of lawyer and will not hesitate to seek appropriate redress against the wrongs meted against her, both in law and equity.

Friends and family are encouraged to be at peace, and avoid insalubrious comments, which may interfere with the ongoing investigation, and other civil actions which may be initiated, at the time appropriate.

God bless you all.

Timothy Williams (PRO to Senator Grace Folashade Bent CON)

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

3 days ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during the week, released a fresh elections timetable, with major amendments to accommodate the just passed and signed Electoral Act 2026 by the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu respectively.

Following the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities, the Commission has reviewed and realigned the Schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework.

Accordingly, the Commission has resolved as follows:

Presidential and National Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 16th January 2027 as against the earlier stated February 20, 2027
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 6th February 2027 as against the former date of March 6, 2027

Also in accordance with the approved Schedule of Activities, the electoral bidy noted in the revised timetable that:

Conduct of Party Primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from primaries, will commence on 23rd April 2026 and end on 30th May 2026.

Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will commence on 19th August 2026.

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will commence on 9th September 2026.

As provided by law, campaigns shall end 24 hours before Election Day. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines. The Commission will enforce compliance with the law.

But in a swift reaction, the opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), rejected the revised 2026–2027 general election timetable, describing it as a politically biased schedule designed to favour the re-election agenda of President Bola Tinubu, and calling on all Nigerians to speak up enmasse to reject the revised timetable.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday argued that the new deadlines and compliance requirements under the Electoral Act 2026 create near-impossible hurdles for opposition parties seeking to field candidates.

On February 13, INEC initially scheduled the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were fixed for March 6, 2027.

The timetable, however, faced objections from some Muslim stakeholders who noted that the dates coincided with the 2027 Ramadan period.

Following the concerns, the National Assembly amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the required election notice period from 360 to 300 days, allowing INEC to adjust the election dates.

Subsequently, INEC released a revised schedule on Thursday, signed by its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, moving the Presidential and National Assembly elections to January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to February 6, 2027.

Reacting, the ADC said the requirement that political parties submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026, effectively bars opposition parties from participating.

The party stated: “The African Democratic Congress rejects the updated 2026–2027 electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. What has been presented as a routine administrative schedule of the upcoming general elections is, in fact, a political instrument carefully structured to narrow democratic space and strengthen the incumbent administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“According to the timetable, party primaries are to be conducted between April 23 and May 30, 2026, just 55 to 92 days from today. However, more significant is that, pursuant to Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties are required to submit their digital membership registers to INEC not later than April 2, 2026.

“That is only about 34 days away. Section 77(7) further provides that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate. These are not routine administrative rules but are deliberately constructed barriers designed to exclude the opposition from participating in the election.”

The party further noted that Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the digital register of members to contain name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN) and photograph in both hard and soft copies, while Section 77(6) prohibits the use of any pre-existing register that does not contain the specified information. It warned that failure to meet these requirements would lead to disqualification.

The ADC questioned the fairness of the digital membership requirement, noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress began its registration process in February 2025, long before the requirement became mandatory.

“It is not a product of foresight but insider advantage. They knew what was coming. They therefore had one full year to carry out an exercise that other political parties are expected to complete in one month, during which they must collect, process, collate and transmit large volumes of digital data to INEC under the threat of exclusion. This is practically impossible.

“Democratic competition is based on a level playing field that does not give any contestant an undue advantage. A system where one party exploits incumbency to gain a one-year head start on a requirement that other parties only became aware of when it was nearly too late is a rigged system.”

The ADC said it has joined other opposition parties in rejecting the Electoral Act 2026, adding that the INEC timetable is equally rejected as it appears designed to serve what it described as a self-succession agenda.

“Let it be clear that ADC will not take any action that appears to confer legitimacy on a fraudulent system. We are reviewing our options and will make our position known in the coming days,” the party said.

The party also called on civil society organisations, democratic stakeholders and Nigerians to scrutinise the timetable and demand fairness, stressing that democracy cannot survive when electoral rules are structured to produce predetermined outcomes.

The party has consistently accused the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) of scheming to silence the opposition as the 2027 General Elections draw closer, citing his manipulation of state governors and Assembly members from jumping ship, and settling with the ruling party.

Presently, the president’s party has a total of 31 out of 36 states governors, more than majority of the national and states Houses of Assembly.

A frontline publisher and chieftain of the ADC, Chief Dele Momodu, has warned that Tinubu is gradually transforming into full-blown dictatorship, stressing that his second term in office would turn state governors into ‘total slaves’.

Headline

Second Term for Tinubu Will Turn Governors into Total Slaves, Dele Momodu Warns

Published

3 days ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

Chairman, Ovation Media Group, and former presidential aspirant, Aare Dele Momodu, has expressed strong concern over what he described as growing political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among state governors across the country.

Speaking during an interview on News Central TV, Momodu said he was shocked by the level of backing the president is reportedly receiving, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could face serious risks if the current political trend continues.

The media entrepreneur cautioned that allowing Tinubu to secure a second term in 2027 could, in his view, lead to excessive concentration of power. He particularly criticized what he described as a growing wave of opposition figures aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress> (APC).

Momodu referenced reports of opposition governors, including Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, allegedly moving closer to the ruling party, describing the development as politically troubling.

According to him, some governors are allegedly competing to demonstrate loyalty to the president ahead of future elections.

“The governors are fighting to ensure Tinubu wins a second term, fighting to be the biggest thug for him. If a man in his first term can capture the bodies and souls of Nigerians this way, imagine what he would do with a second term. It will be a full-blown dictatorship, and the governors will regret it as they become total slaves to him,” Momodu said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and actively protect democratic institutions, warning that unchecked consolidation of political power could threaten the nation’s democracy and future stability.

Gistmania

Headline

Court Validates PDP 2025 Convention in Ibadan, Affirms Turaki-led NWC

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

Eric

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has affirmed the validity of the 2025 Elective Convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which produced Dr. Kabiru Turaki as the substantive National Chairman of the party.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Ladiran Akintola upheld the convention in its entirety, ruling that it was conducted in full compliance with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions governing party elections in Nigeria.

The decision marked a significant legal victory for the party’s leadership and brought clarity to the dispute surrounding the convention’s legitimacy.

The ruling followed an amended originating summons filed by Misibau Adetunmbi (SAN) on behalf of the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, in Suit No. I/1336/2025.

In a comprehensive judgment, the court granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, effectively endorsing the processes and outcomes of the Ibadan convention.

Justice Akintola held that the convention, organised by the recognised leadership of the party, satisfied all laid-down legal requirements as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The court found no breach of due process or statutory non-compliance in the conduct of the exercise.

In the same proceedings, the court dismissed the Motion on Notice seeking a stay of proceedings and suspension of the ruling, filed by Sunday Ibrahim (SAN) on behalf of Austin Nwachukwu and two others. The applications were described as lacking merit.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court had also rejected a bid by Ibrahim to have his clients joined in the suit.

Justice Akintola ruled at the time that the joinder application was unsubstantiated and consequently dismissed it.