Politics

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has explained that his appointment by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was the outcome of long-standing trust, shared principles, loyalty, and years of service, rather than a one-off decision. Mohammed, who served for nearly eight years in Buhari’s administration, revealed this in his book Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration. The book was unveiled in Abuja on December 17, 2025, to mark what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday. Reflecting on events following Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, 2015, Mohammed noted that the former president took time before announcing his cabinet. However, due to the confidence Buhari had in him, he was personally appointed in April 2015 to the Ahme...

Former Plateau State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Jonah David Jang, has cautioned against Nigeria sliding into a one-party system, warning that such a development would seriously undermine the nation’s democracy. Jang issued the warning while addressing PDP stakeholders in Plateau State, following the recent defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang to the All Progressives Congress (APC). “God forbid Nigeria becomes a one-party state. By God’s grace, it will never happen. We must rise to protect this democracy and not fail the nation,” he said. He emphasized the need to safeguard and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system, arguing that rampant defections by elected officials threaten democratic stability. According to Jang, the political system wrongly enables...

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has urged residents of the state to stay calm as the State House of Assembly proceeds with moves to impeach him. The governor made the appeal on Sunday during a church service in Port Harcourt held to commemorate the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day. He reassured the congregation that the situation would be resolved. Governor Fubara explained that his silence amid the unfolding developments was intentional, stating that his confidence and resilience are rooted in his faith in God. Referring to comments he made during the New Year banquet at the Government House, the governor remarked that “dogs bark when they do not understand”. In her address, the Deputy Governor of the state, Professor Ngozi Odu, who also addressed the worshippers...

Former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has urged Nigerians to unite in a collective effort to rescue the country, warning that the nation is currently in a state of peril. Tambuwal made the appeal on Saturday while speaking at a colloquium organized to commemorate his 60th birthday. The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said Nigeria urgently needs a shared commitment to national renewal driven by honest leadership, accountable governance, and unity among its people. According to the Sokoto South Senator, the country’s present condition marks a distressing deviation from the ideals and sacrifices of its founding fathers. He stressed that genuine recovery would only be possible when Nigerians openly acknowledge that there are deep-rooted problems in the way th...

Factions loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have stepped up efforts to identify alternative political platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections. Party insiders told Punch that both blocs are considering the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as possible vehicles for their aspirants, amid growing fears that the PDP may be unable to field candidates due to protracted leadership disputes and ongoing court cases. Concerns intensified following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) rejection of the PDP’s Ekiti State governorship candidate, Wole Oluyede, for the June 20, 2026 election. Oluyede emerged from a primary or...

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified consultations with key opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections, while making it clear that it will not guarantee any aspirant the presidential or vice-presidential ticket. Party sources disclosed that the ADC has set up a high-level committee tasked with engaging influential politicians across various opposition parties to strengthen collaboration nationwide before the polls. According to a senior party official who spoke anonymously, the committee’s mandate is broad and not focused on any single party or individual. The move comes amid reports that the ADC is courting the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to join its platform. Kwankwaso had recently stated in Kano that h...

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has urged residents to ignore recent remarks from some opposition leaders in the state. Speaking on Saturday at the dedication of a Seventh-Day Adventist Church building in Umuoriehi, Umuahia North LGA, Otti criticized those mobilizing against his re-election, noting that they were the same individuals who had previously failed to advance the state’s development. The governor was responding to an alliance reportedly formed by former Abia governors Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji, and Okezie Ikpeazu against his re-election bid. Otti condemned the group for prioritizing personal interests over the state’s progress, asserting that their efforts against him were doomed to fail. He said, “Pastor Uguru mentioned the noise you may have heard over the past f...

If you want, I can give 3–4 alternative punchy versions suitable for news headlines. Do you want me to do that? Isaac Fayose, a brother of former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose, has claimed that neither the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, nor Governor Siminalayi Fubara, can secure Rivers State for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election without electoral manipulation. Fayose made the claim in a video shared on his Facebook page on Saturday while commenting on the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State. According to him, both Wike and Fubara lack the grassroots support required to win the state for the APC in a free and fair election. “Make we no deceive ourselves. Both Wike and Fubara, none of them can win Rivers election for APC o...

Former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has warned that Governor Siminalayi Fubara cannot be regarded as a legitimate member of the APC in the state. Speaking on Channels Television, Cole argued that Fubara aligned himself with the wrong faction of the party. Naija News reports that Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in December 2025, a move that was publicly endorsed by the party’s national leadership. He was later issued an APC membership card by Tony Okocha, who heads one of the party’s factions in Rivers State. However, Cole maintained that the Emeka Beke-led group remains the authentic leadership of the APC in Rivers, insisting that the governor made the wrong decision by joining the Okocha fac...

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that he spearheaded the effort that secured President Bola Tinubu’s victory in Rivers State during the 2023 presidential election. Addressing supporters in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday, Wike criticised former backers of ex–Vice President Atiku Abubakar who have now shifted their allegiance to Tinubu. He pointed out that the same individuals failed to secure even 10 percent of the vote for Atiku in Rivers State during the 2023 polls, yet are now positioning themselves as key supporters of Tinubu. Wike cautioned that no one would be allowed to take charge of Tinubu’s political structure in the state. “In 2023, we led the struggle that delivered President Tinubu in Rivers St...