Politics

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in the 2023 Presidential election would not have won the election even if he secured 10 million votes. While in a podcast recently, Mohammed who served under the Buhari administration, said Obi still could not get “one-quarter of votes cast in 25 states,” a constitutional requirement for winning the presidency. “Even if Obi had got 10million votes, he wouldn’t have won. This is because he still could not get one-quarter of the votes cast in 25 states. It is even on record that he could not provide agents at about 40,000 polling units,” the ex-minister said. Speaking on factors that shaped the 2023 election, especially in Lagos state, Mohammed said, “For the first time...

The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yinusa Tanko Yakasai, has played down concerns that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could stand in the way of Peter Obi’s emergence as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election. Speaking on Politics on Sunday on TVC, Yakasai said Atiku could even throw his weight behind Obi to secure the party’s ticket. He described the former Vice President as a respected leader and father figure who understands that winning an election does not necessarily require being the candidate. According to Yakasai, while Atiku has every right to contest the presidency, he equally has the option of supporting another aspirant he believes can deliver victory for the party. Reacting to questions about the possib...

The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027, pledging to mobilise support for him across the country’s 774 local government areas. The endorsement was announced on Sunday by the association’s President, Musa Maitakobi, while receiving a delegation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Jagaban Squad during a courtesy visit to Abuja. At the event, Maitakobi was honoured with the title of Life Patron of the Jagaban Squad. He also revealed that RTEAN would donate a fully branded bus to the group to enhance its visibility and operational reach within the Federal Capital Territory. According to him, the bus—branded with the Jagaban Squad’s insignia and images of President Tinubu—will ...

The Kano State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Children and Persons with Special Needs, Hajiya Amina Sani, popularly known as Amina HOD, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), signalling a significant development in the state’s evolving political realignment. Amina, widely regarded as a strong grassroots mobiliser and a prominent figure within the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has formally exited the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to join Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and other top government officials who recently moved to the ruling APC. The defection was announced on Sunday in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Garba Waiya, who described the move as “a defining and historic moment” in Kano State’s political history. Accordi...

Abia State Governor and Labour Party leader, Alex Otti, on Saturday held a meeting with members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, days after a court ruling affirmed that Julius Abure was no longer the National Chairman of the party. The meeting focused on resolving internal party issues and mapping out a new direction in light of recent developments. Addressing journalists after the meeting, Governor Otti said the NEC agreed to begin preparations for party congresses and a national convention. “Very soon, the congresses will be conducted and the national convention will also hold,” he said. According to Otti, the process will start with congresses slated for March. “We will commence preparations for the congresses scheduled to take place in March,” ...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognised the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party (LP) led by Nenadi Usman, in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court. A review of INEC’s website on Friday showed that Usman is now listed as the Chairperson of the party’s Caretaker Committee. Other members of the recognised NWC include Senator Darlington Nwokocha as National Secretary, Hamisu Santuraki as National Treasurer, Aisha Madije as National Financial Secretary, and Eric Ifere as National Legal Adviser. INEC’s decision follows a judgment delivered on January 21 by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Peter Lifu affirmed Usman’s leadership and directed the electoral body to recognise the Usman-led NWC. The court ru...

Former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). According to Vanguard, Duke was formally registered as an ADC member in Ward 5 of Calabar Municipality, where he received his membership card amid celebrations from party supporters. This development marks the second time Duke has exited the PDP. He had previously defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate—a move that generated significant controversy at the time. With his latest defection, Duke aligns with other prominent political figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Obi, who have also moved to the ADC. Meanwhile, ADC leaders in Bakassi...

The governor of Nasarawa state, Governor Abdullahi Sule, says himself and other governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are not losing sleep over the impe@chment process initiated against Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara,  whoweeks back defected to their party. In a chat with Channels TV on Thursday, January 29, Governor Sule was asked if himself and other APC governors were anxious about the plot to remove Fubara, he responded saying the process was strictly guided by the law. “I’m not worried because I think it’s an issue of the court. I am not worried about anybody impeaching anyone. You don’t just wake up and impeach somebody without going through the due process. Of course, whatever happens to any of our colleagues, we are worried, ...

Venezuelan lawmakers have approved a sweeping reform that opens the country’s oil industry to greater foreign participation, a move widely seen as an effort by Caracas to meet the demands of US President Donald Trump.  The new law, backed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, loosens state control over the sector and allows foreign companies to manage oilfields at their own risk and expense. Until now, Venezuela’s oil industry has been largely dominated by the state-owned firm Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Since the US captured President Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of January, Washington has repeatedly made clear its desire for American companies to invest in Venezuela’s vast oil sector. Venezuela holds the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and Rodríguez said the re...

As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouq Aliyu, has argued that demographic considerations—particularly in northern Nigeria—make a Muslim–Muslim presidential ticket the most viable option for the ruling party. Aliyu made the remarks on Friday while appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show, noting that electoral outcomes are often shaped by numbers and strategic calculations rather than emotions. He stressed that decisions regarding the party’s presidential ticket lie solely with the APC and its candidate, adding that individual preferences must align with the party’s broader interests. “I stand with my party because these decisions belong to the party and the candidate,” Aliyu said. “If, in the w...