Headline

Crisis: PDP Moves to Reconcile All Members

Published

3 years ago

September 19, 2022

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Machineries have been set in motion for a speedy resolution to the crisis rocking the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party has been enmeshed in a muddy feud since the conclusion of its presidential primary held at the Velodrome of the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

The primary has produced Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from Adamawa State, North East region of the country as against popular opinion of a section of the party members, who were clamouring for a candidate from the south.

At the head of the rebellion is the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, who felt cheated during and after the primary election.

The primary election, against Wike’s expectation had gone the way of Atiku for the second time in a row, having also won in 2019 in Port Harcourt.

Wike’s loss amid what many described as daylight robbery was not the last straw that broke the camel’s back, but the naming of Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, as Atiku’s running mate as the 2023 political intrigues unfold. Wike had believed that the vice presidential candidate slot will automatically be given to him as compensation both for coming second in the keenly contested election, and for being a pillar of the party ‘all these years’. But that was not to be, thereby flaming the ambers of discord that has silently torn the party apart in the last couple of months.

Okowa’s choice as VP candidate was in spite of the constituted PDP selection committee, which reportedly recommended the Rivers State governor after 13 of 17 members, who attended the meeting at the PDP National Secretariat, voted in favour of Wike. At the meeting, three members voted for others, while the chairman, who can only vote when there is a tie, did not vote. And there began Wike’s silent war against Atiku and the PDP family.

But new facts have emerged following The Boss investigation as to why the presidential candidate of the party dumped Wike and choose Okowa, who he had described as fulfilling the qualities of a president and one that could complement him as a President.

The Boss has unveiled that the prelude to the quagmire that is threatening to consume the party started in August 2021, when Atiku traveled to Port Harcourt, ostensibly to seal a deal with Wike, who by all intent and purpose, is the most vocal member of the party, on a joint ticket. Wike reportedly agreed. His agreement however, betrayed the unanimous agreement of southern governors that power be shifted to the south during their meetings in May and July 2021 in Asaba and Lagos respectively.

At the Lagos meeting held on July 5, 2021, the southern governors, in a communique read by the Forum’s chairman, and Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, unanimously agreed that the next president of the country should come from the southern region in 2023.

In attendance were Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governors Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu). Deputy governors who represented their states were Philip Shaibu (Edo), Placid Njoku (Imo), Oko Chukwu (Abia) and Kelechi Igwe (Ebonyi).

But beyond all the intrigues of losing the primary election as well as being sidelined in the choice of a running mate, Wike had mellowed down, and gave another condition for peace to return to the party. He, and his growing group of sympathizers including the Governors of Benue, Samuel Ortom’ Oyo, Seyi Makinde; Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu; a party chieftain, Chief Olabode George among many others, have declared that the party chairman must resign to pave way for the enthronement of a member from the south as chairman to balance the equation in hierarchy. This has been one request that has remained impossible for the party to meet, thereby raising exchange of words clothed in uncouth languages among the those involved.

However, the party has taken more newer steps to ensure that everything was settled before the campaign opens on September 28, 2022.

So on September 8, 2022, the party took a decisive step, and replaced the Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, with former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, from the southeast in a bid to balance the equilibrium.

Jibrin, who has a few months left in his tenure, was believed to have resigned after complaining about the lopsidedness in the party’s hierarchy following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar, a fellow northerner as Presidential candidate.

But the resignation did not go down well with Wike and his camp, as the rejected the move and insisted on Ayu’s resignation. Wike said the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, told him in person when he won the May primary that Ayu must vacate his position as party chairman.

“When we finished our convention on a Saturday to Sunday, the candidate of the party (Atiku) came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10:30am…The candidate told me: ‘I want us to work together’ and then he said, ‘Look, Ayu must go’.

“I said why? He said because when a candidate comes from the north, the chairman will come from the south. And I am saying, implement what you told me. What offence have I committed? It has nothing to do with Wike; it has to do with integrity.

“I challenge the presidential candidate to deny this. If he denies this, I will go further to say so many things to Nigerians because enough is enough,” the governor said during the commissioning of the Ahoada Campus of the Rivers State University in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.

But then moves are ongoing for reconciliatory as the party is bent on winning the 2023 Presidential Election. On Sunday continued its reconciliatory efforts to pacify all the aggrieved parties with the top echelon of the party visiting the residence of a former Minister of Information and Orientation, Prof Jerry Gana, on Sunday, who is a staunch believer of Wike’s views

On Monday, the reconciliatory team berth in Adamawa State to confer with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and from there proceeded to Benue State to meet Governor Samuel Ortom.

According to Wabara before the visit, “We will be going to Adamawa State… to meet with Governor Fintiri and from there we will meet with Governor Ortom. I am on the road now to meet with Prof Jerry Gana. We are trying our best to ensure that peace is achieved and victory will be ours in 2023.

“We will soothe aggrieved nerves and come with something that will be acceptable to everyone.”

He was reacting to questions on the outcome of his recent tour in the South West and whether the party would amend its constitution so soon to pave the way for the removal of the national chairman of PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

He added, “After we met with the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, I won’t say we are making progress but we are talking to our governors and the parties concerned. We should give and take, and pacify but because I have not reported to the BoT members, I can’t make a categorical statement. We have to talk to our members and whatever we come up with will be the position of the BoT.”

The former Senate president had last week started moves to save the main opposition party from collapse.

He disclosed that he was leading a delegation of the PDP BoT, comprising some former governors, ex-deputy governors, ex-ministers and other top party chieftains to meet three of the aggrieved PDP governors within 48 hours.

Wabara is certain that a resolution acceptable to all parties will be reached, and peace restored.

Headline

Adenuga, Dangote, Otedola, Rabiu Make 2026 Forbes Africa Billionaires List

Published

5 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Eric

Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, and Abdulsamad Rabiu have been named among Africa’s richest individuals in 2026.

According to the latest Africa Billionaires ranking released by Forbes, Dangote retained his position as Africa’s richest man, with an estimated net worth of $28.5 billion. He added about $4.6 billion to his fortune over the past year, largely driven by the strong performance of Dangote Cement on the Nigerian Exchange Limited.

Telecommunications magnate Adenuga also retained his place among Africa’s billionaires.

The founder of Globacom and chairman of Conoil Producing remains one of Nigeria’s most influential entrepreneurs with diversified interests spanning telecoms, oil and gas, and banking.

Otedola, chairman of Geregu Power Plc, also featured on the list despite a slight dip in his wealth over the past year. Forbes estimates that the billionaire investor lost about $200 million following the sale of a majority stake in the power generation company at a discount to its market price.

The increase in Rabiu’s net worth was largely driven by the performance of BUA Cement, whose shares rose 135% over the past year, outperforming the broader rally on the Nigerian stock market.

The 23 billionaires on the continent are now worth a combined $126.7 billion, representing a 21% increase from 2025 after they collectively added $20.3 billion to their net worth.

Across the continent, billionaire fortunes were boosted by strong equity market performance, record corporate profits, and improving currency stability in several African economies.

South Africa remains the highest number of billionaires on the list, with seven individuals, followed by Egypt with five, Nigeria with four, and Morocco with three.

No female billionaires from Africa appeared on the 2026 ranking list.

Headline

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

Published

4 days 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

1 week 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’.