Headline

APC: Buhari Approves February 2022 for Convention As Crisis Persists in 12 States

Published

4 years ago

November 23, 2021

Eric

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, approved February 2022 for the All Progressives Congress’ national convention. However, there was no specific date when the convention would hold next February, meaning that nothing was cast in stone.

This comes just as The PUNCH learnt that crises had continued to rock 12 state chapters of the APC with many individuals and groups instituting court cases against the ruling party and its Caretaker Chairman, Mai Mala Buni, who is also the Governor of Yobe State.

The states facing crises are Rivers, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Osun, Kano, Abia, Zamfara and Kwara, where factions are battling for supremacy.

Buhari had in June 2020 inaugurated the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee led by Buni with the primary aim of conducting the national convention of the party in December of that year after which the Yobe governor would step aside and a new chairman would have emerged.

However, in December 2020, the tenure of Buni’s committee was extended by six months to June 2021. In June, the convention was again shifted and was expected to hold in December. However, the congresses preceding the convention, which were conducted in the states, ended in rancour with many states producing factional chairmen.

Some of the factions are being led by serving ministers in Buhari’s government.

For instance, in Rivers State, factions led by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Senator Magnus Abe elected different executive councils. While Abe’s faction has as its chairman a former member of the state House of Assembly, Golden Chioma, the Amaechi faction elected Emeka Beke as chairman.

In Kwara State, the party is divided into factions led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

The Chairman of the APC in Ekiti State, Paul Omotoso, and the state Chairman, South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023, a pro-Bola Tinubu group, Senator Tony Adeniyi, disagreed over the suit filed by aggrieved party members challenging the conduct of ward congresses in the state.

In Kano State, two factions led by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Senator Ibrahim Shekarau have continued to tear the party apart, while in Osun State, factions loyal to Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, produced parallel state executives.

Addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with Buhari on Monday, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, announced that the convention might hold in February.

Bagudu was accompanied to the Villa by Buni as well as Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State. The three are believed to be the most influential governors in the party and run its affairs.

Bagudu disclosed to State House correspondents that the meeting was to brief the President on the decision of the Progressives Governors’ Forum when the members met on Sunday night.

According to him, the governors have resolved that the convention should hold in February 2022 and the same suggestion was proposed to the President for approval.

He said, “On November 21, the Progressive Governors’ Forum met and as some of you may have seen in press reports, I spoke after the meeting, where, in addition to congratulating and thanking the caretaker committee for a wonderful job of their leadership of the party and thanking Mr President for supporting them to deliver on their mandate; I also explained that the Progressive Governors’ Forum discussed the issue of the national convention of the party.

“They mandated us to come and discuss with the President, as the party’s leader, to give the inputs of the governors so that the party and the President will consider agreeing on a date for the national convention.

“Yesterday (Sunday), part of the inputs we got was that we still have four states, which are in the process of completing their congresses; Anambra, understandably, because of the election; Zamfara and two others, because of logistic challenges are yet to complete theirs, and then, Christmas is around the corner, and then, early January we’ll be very busy with Ekiti.”

He said the governors, based on all that, agreed that the party and the President might consider February for the convention.

The President, Bagudu stated, was favourably disposed to it, adding, “The chair of the caretaker committee was part of the delegation and I’m sure there will be a conclusion between him and the President.

“But we have made the input of the governors known. It was favourably considered by Mr President.”

When asked for a specific date in February, Buni said, “Well, we’ll let you know; you know, we have to work on a timetable, which of course has to be communicated to our various state chapters for them to be ready for the convention.”

He also dispelled fears that the tentative date was just an idea of the governors and excluded other caucuses within the party, explaining that there was wide consultation over it and it was a result of good planning.

“Of course, we have to consult widely and it was part of the reasons why the governors met yesterday (Sunday); 20 of the 22 governors attended the meeting. So, it is in consultation to that effect. So, it is a well consulted and a well thought out plan,” he said.

Asked for a response to those who accused him of trying to elongate his stay as chairman of the caretaker committee of the party, Buni stated, “How? Am I a jobless person, who is always trying to extend his tenure? To do what?

“I have my primary responsibility as a governor to go back to my state and carry out my primary responsibility. What I’m here to do is ad hoc, and of course, to reposition the party, and that is exactly what we’re able to achieve.”

Quizzed about what Nigerians should expect from the party after the convention, he said, “Well, they will expect more unity and progress. Like the PGF chairman said, they have suggested to the party and Mr President has concurred; so, we are going ahead to plan for the convention in February.”

The governor said the party would notify the Independent National Electoral Commission, while it would draft a timetable.

The Punch

Headline

Israeli Ambassador Accuses Iran of Spreading Terror, Sponsoring Extremist Activities in Nigeria

Published

3 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Eric

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of sponsoring extremist activities in Nigeria and other parts of the world, alleging that Tehran supports groups aimed at destabilising countries while pursuing its hostility against Israel.

Freeman made the remarks on Friday while speaking during an interview on The Morning Show on Arise News.

The envoy claimed that Iran is the only country within the United Nations that openly expresses a desire to destroy another sovereign state, referring to repeated threats against Israel.

According to him, the Iranian government has, over several decades, supported militant groups and terror organisations around the world in pursuit of that objective.

Freeman alleged that Iran has backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, adding that Tehran was also behind the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas against Israel.

He further claimed that Iranian activities aimed at spreading instability have been observed across several regions, including Europe, Australia, and parts of Africa.

Speaking specifically about Nigeria, the Israeli ambassador alleged that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria receives backing from the Iranian government.

According to Freeman, statements of support from Iran’s leadership, including posts by Ali Khamenei on social media, have openly indicated such ties.

He said: “The issue here is about Iran. Iran is the only country in the world, in the United Nations, who expressly desires to wipe another country off the face of the earth. Iran has stated its very policy is to destroy Israel. Is to wipe Israel off the map is to make sure they kill every single person and no regime, no country that has an express desire to destroy Israel, and it’s not only an expressed desire.

“We’ve seen over 47 years, they’ve taken all the actions they can in order for that to happen. We’ve seen them sponsor terror organizations. They were behind October the seventh massacre of Hamas. We’ve seen them sponsoring Hezbollah. We’ve seen them acting in Europe. We’ve seen them acting in Australia. We’ve seen them acting in Nigeria.

“We’ve seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance for them to try and carry out their aim of destroying Israel, and Israel will not allow another country to have nuclear weapons when they’ve expressly stated they want those weapons to destroy Israel”.

“I think that it is well documented. We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic movement of Nigeria is sponsored and is backed by the Iranian regime. This is not me saying this, we’ve seen that documented by the Iranian regime.

The Supreme Leader posted on X his support and his backing there. So that’s very open. And there are other areas as well that Iran is working for, destabilizing, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa.”

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

6 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

6 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.

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