Politics

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...

A political affairs analyst, Ibrahim Modibo, has said that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, is overplaying his hands in the politics of Rivers State. Modibo said this on Friday, while fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television. While saying that there is no need for him to have an overwhelming influence on Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the analyst said Wike needs to calm down. “To me, the trajectory of the problems confronting the Rivers state in particular has to do with conflict of power between two people. These are the major problems. “Based on my studies, based on my understanding of the political system that has confronted Rivers prior to this moment and up to this moment, I can see the hands of the former governor, who seems to b...

The Labour Party (LP) has formally named Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as its National Leader and conveyed goodwill to its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, following his decision to join the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC). This was contained in a communiqué issued by the party’s National Secretary, Darlington Nwokocha. According to the statement, the resolution was reached at a meeting of the Labour Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) held on Wednesday, where discussions centered on the party’s stability, expansion, and overall strategic direction. “The NWC, acting unanimously, hereby recognizes His Excellency, Governor Alex Chioma Otti, as the National Leader of the Labour Party,” the communiqué stated in part. It also noted that the party’s nation...

The Rivers State House of Assembly has affirmed that the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, are progressing as planned. This was disclosed on Friday by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Enemi George, in an official statement. George explained that the impeachment move is being carried out strictly in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). He noted that two separate notices alleging gross misconduct, initiated under Section 188 of the Constitution against both the Governor and the Deputy Governor, have been formally transmitted to them by the Speaker of the House, and the Assembly is currently awaiting their responses. A...

Abia North Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to remove Abia State Governor Alex Otti in the 2027 elections. Addressing his supporters at a recent rally, Kalu told Governor Otti to “write his will,” insisting that APC is ready to take control of the state. The former governor of Abia also pledged to campaign door-to-door across the state to ensure Otti’s defeat. “The governor once said that anyone wanting to succeed him should go write their will. I’m telling him to write his own will first because we are taking over,” Kalu said. Describing Otti as inexperienced in politics, he added, “The governor is a joker; he doesn’t understand politics. He’s a banker. As far as I’m concerned, he is a one-term governor. Abia people will speak...