₦airaland Forum

Division has crept into the African Democratic Congress following reports of its adoption by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as a platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Amid the unfolding drama, Sunday PUNCH gathered that the party quietly amended its constitution to grant equal rights and privileges to incoming members, a move interpreted by insiders as a strategic step to accommodate high-profile defectors ahead of the coalition.

However, the move sparked resistance among some state officials, who vowed not to relinquish their positions to new entrants.

While a few expressed openness to leadership changes in the spirit of unity, others insisted they would not step aside for the new power blocs.

The ADC

Founded in 2005, the African Democratic Congress remained largely on the fringes of Nigerian politics until recently, when talks about a possible coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections thrust it into the national spotlight.

The coalition drive gained momentum following internal crises in the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party.

Despite its newfound relevance, the ADC still lacks a robust national structure.

Sunday PUNCH correspondents encountered difficulty reaching party representatives across some states, particularly in the South-South and South-East regions.

Though the party has won elections on a limited scale, the ADC’s electoral successes have not extended beyond the Federal House of Representatives and state levels.

In the 2019 general elections, the party secured at least three National Assembly seats, and won two Oyo State House of Assembly seats.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the coalition leaders might have settled for the ADC following growing concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s influence within the Social Democratic Party, which was initially considered to be their platform of choice.

The National Secretary of the SDP, Olu Agunloye, had declared that the party would not enter into any mergers or adopt external takeover models.

While negotiations between the SDP leadership and the coalition leaders continued to linger, the ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, declared that the party was ready to be the face of the anti-Tinubu coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

A few days after his statement, the ADC was announced as the coalition’s platform.

The ADC officials who spoke with Sunday PUNCH welcomed the development, declaring the coalition the right initiative to defeat the APC.

However, while some party leaders admitted that restructuring was part of the coalition plan, others stated that any move to impose a new leadership in their various states would be resisted.


ADC leaders welcome coalition


Speaking with Sunday PUNCH , the Ogun State Chairman of the ADC, Dr Femi Soluade, said there was a need to give a sense of belonging to the potential new members, adding that tinkering with the party executives was part of the arrangement.

“There has been realignment, re-engineering and, of course, repositioning of the party right from the National Chairman, Secretary and some other national officers to make the coalition work,” he stated.

Soluade said, “We are doing some fixtures at the regional and state levels to accommodate the interests of more than six blocs forming the coalition, whereas the ADC bloc is the senior partner with the allocation of a certain percentage.”

In Rivers State, the leadership of the ADC expressed a willingness to allow newcomers to take up leadership positions.

The ADC Chairman, Lawrence Egbagiri, said, “For the sake of the country, we are willing to relinquish our offices, and the party is glad about it.”

Similarly, the Niger State Chairman of the party, Musa Hassan, said the state was also willing to relinquish positions for the new members.

“But that should be after a resolution based on the national convention of the ADC,” he added.

The Bauchi State ADC Chairman, Hassan Haruna, maintained that the state chapter would abide by the decision of the national leadership on party offices.

“Coalition means joining forces. Whatever notification we receive from the national leadership is what we are going to dwell on,” he stated.

The Kano State Chairman of the ADC, Musa Ungogo, and his counterpart in Kaduna State, Ahmed Tijjani, said they were also willing to give their offices to the new joiners.

Ungogo explained that the party’s symbol, a handshake, represented the coming together of people from different backgrounds to build a greater Nigeria.

“Our party has been in existence for 21 years, and it’s growing daily. We cannot turn away people of high calibre who want to join us,” he added.

Similarly, the Kebbi State ADC Chairman, Hauwa’u Muhammed, said the national leadership would determine the direction to take on the party offices.

“The national leadership of our party holds the four aces. If they ask us to relinquish our positions to the new entrants, we will, if it will take our party to greater heights,” she said.

Also, a Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, Nafiu Bala, disclosed that there was a decision by the party’s leadership to step aside in favour of incoming members.

Nafiu, in an interview with one of our correspondents in Gombe, said the state leadership collectively agreed to relinquish their positions in the interest of party unity, renewal, and progress.


We won’t relinquish our positions – ADC state Chairmen vowed

But the Osun State ADC Chairman, Charles Omidiji, said no defector would be allowed to displace the current leadership in the state.

He, however, declared that his executives were willing to negotiate and concede some positions to properly integrate newcomers.

Omidiji said, “Why would anyone come into the party and displace us? Who will receive the defectors? It is us. Let people defect to our party, but to hold the view that they will come in and displace us, that will not happen.

“But if we have to negotiate, it will be a give-and-take situation. We will take some positions and leave some for those coming in, but we can’t welcome the idea of one person or group taking all the positions. It will be shared equally.”

Also, the ADC Chairman in Plateau State, Sabiu Musa, said the party was not ready to hold a congress to allow newcomers to take positions immediately.

He encouraged new joiners to contest positions during the next congress of the party if they wished to be part of the executives.

Musa said, “Why are we not going to incorporate new joiners? Our doors are wide open for that. But we are not ready to hold any congress at the moment to change the leadership and allow newcomers to take positions.”

Echoing a similar view, the Delta State ADC Chairman, Austin Okolie, insisted that it was impossible to change the party leadership because of the coalition.

He said, “If you change leadership, it means you want to replace the people who have laboured for the party. You can’t change the people who have laboured for the party. If not for the people who kept it, you wouldn’t have met it for a coalition.

“So, when you are coming, you queue up with the present leadership; we harmonise and everybody will put hands together for the victory of the party.”

Also, the ADC National Vice Chairman, South-East, Chilos Godsent, said it would be unfair for new members to take all party positions.

He warned that any act of imposition or impunity would cause internal rancour and weaken the party.

“It is very undemocratic if the newcomers request or impose conditions that the existing ward, local government, state, and zonal executive committee members relinquish all the positions for the newcomers without mutual internal restructuring of the party offices on a win-win basis,” he said.

In his comment, the Chairman of the ADC in Benue State, Celestine Orbunde, said new members would not be allowed to make old members feel useless.

“One thing I know is that the new members cannot just come and say they want to take over everything completely, as if the old members don’t know how to build a party.

There has to be an understanding among the members, both old and new. Whether the old members will allow a congress to change the party leadership lies with the national leadership.”

Similarly, the Gombe ADC Chairman, Auwal Barde, rejected what he described as pressure to relinquish seats for newcomers, saying while the state leadership welcomed progressive coalitions, it would not step aside for new entrants.

“We welcome any positive coalition that will uplift our party, but we won’t hand over leadership to newcomers who barely understand our history and struggle,” he said.

The chairman insisted that leadership changes should follow due process and not be imposed under political arrangements.


Why we amended party constitution – Nwosu

Confirming the amendment of the party’s constitution, the ADC National Chairman, Nwosu, told Sunday PUNCH that the step was taken to ensure that everyone’s interest was accommodated amid the coalition plan.

“Yes, we amended the constitution. We are interested in being a vehicle for the transformation of this country, and because of that, we are completely willing to take any steps necessary to ensure that everybody’s interest is accommodated,” Nwosu said.

He disclosed that “critical areas” of the constitution were amended by the National Executive Council of the party, specifically for the coalition.

Our correspondents gathered that the last amendment was made on May 15 at the NEC meeting.

Speaking further, Nwosu said, “When it comes to politics, different individuals show up. So, we want to be sure that everybody is accommodated. The fact that we founded the party doesn’t mean that we own it. The principle of politics is public trust.

“Some of the areas we amended have to do with rights and privileges. Before, if you joined the ADC, you had to be a member of the party for two years before you could be voted for or hold a party office. But we have opened ourselves up for a coalition and to admit new members now.

“Previously, our constitution stated that you had to wait for two years if you were interested in contesting the presidency after joining the ADC. But we have amended that. Now, the power we have as members of over 20 years is the same power that everybody has to contest elections.”

He added that the ADC held about five different NEC meetings to amend the critical areas of the constitution to ‘help the coalition.’

Speaking on how to manage different interests in the party, Nwosu said, “It is the culture of every ADC person to be compliant. Our culture and tradition is a handshake, which means love and inclusion. What we want is to rescue this country.”

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has opened up on reports thar he’s planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, Governor Alia described the report as “fake news” and a product of “yellow journalism”.

He reaffirmed his unwavering loyalty to the APC, declaring that he has no intention of leaving the party under which he was elected.

“We read online wherein they alleged that Governor Hyacinth Alia is plotting to leave the APC amidst the brewing crisis in the Benue APC .

“For the unsuspecting public, the story is not true.
“There is no doubt about the Governor’s loyalty to the APC. He has been an active participant in the affairs of the party, including the recent endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the APC sole candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

“The Governor’s presence at APC’s recent events, including the Zonal and National meetings at the Presidential Villa proves that he is aligned with the party.

“The APC leadership in the state is in no crisis as claimed in the unfounded report. The Party under the chairmanship of Hon. Benjamin Omale has a super working relationship with the Governor and has been performing its functions effectively”, Kula added.

According to the Media Aide, it will be strange for Governor Alia to be contemplating leaving APC at a time most opposition party Governors and others are jostling to join the party.

“At a time opposition Governors are joining the APC due to the policies and performance of the party under president Tinubu, it is laughable for any one to suggest that the Governor is contemplating defection from the party he is sponsoring in Benue state”, he asserted

The statement also denied any crisis within the APC in Benue State, asserting that the party under the leadership of Benjamin Omale maintains a cordial and effective working relationship with the governor.

“The APC leadership in the State is in no crisis. The party has been performing its functions effectively at both state and national levels, as witnessed during the recent APC Summit in Abuja,” the statement added.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ayekooto Akindele, has dismissed claims by activist politician, Omoyele Sowore, that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has written the results of the 2027 presidential election in favour of President Bola Tinubu.

Ayekooto, who described Sowore’s claim as wrong, said Tinubu is playing the right political cards that would ensure he wins in 2027.
He declared that Tinubu will knock out his opponents during the 2027 election.

Posting on Facebook, Ayekooto insisted that Tinubu will win by landslide.

He said: “Sowore, you’re wrong and right simultaneously.

“You’re wrong because, in figures, no one can tell you the winning figure Asiwaju will get in 2027. Yes, he will win by landslide just like we expect any student who prepared hard for his exams to also pass.

“Yes, Asiwaju will get A1 in all subjects, however since A1 starts from 80, I cannot say whether he will score 90 or 100 but he will surely get A1.

“Having done very well, taken decisive bold steps on the economy which is now freeing states from debts, making FG repay its loans, building quality infrastructures, assisting Students through student loans and pocket money so they can concentrate on the studies.

“Even youth corpers now receive N77k monthly allowance. Food prices are crashing and will continue to crash. All these in two years! Terrorists are being neutralised and more places are safer than they were.

“Politically, Tinubu is also playing the right card and opposition members are jumping voluntarily into the APC leaving only comedians and parasites in other mushroom parties!

“You’re right because the result of any boxing match between Tyson Fury and Mr Portable is already written and we all know the winner before the game, even though we will still blame the referee for hating Portable!

“I can tell you, the result of 2027 election will not be fully announced before the winner will emerge because Tinubu is going to knock them out within the first round! It will be a knockout."

fergie001:
A public official building schools or infrastructure in private capacity?

Whilst commendable, is this not against the Code of Conduct for Public Officers?

fergie001:
Buratai as COAS built an Army University in Biu, in the name of the FG, the Nigerian Military funded it

Sadique Abubakar as CAS built an Air force University in his home State of Bauchi, same owned, financed by the FG.

They didn't build these schools in personal capacities, but as serving Security Chiefs, their contributions stopped at pushing for it and the financing was budgetted for. However, in this case, it's the DG doing so with friends in his personal capacity (conflict of interests). So Egbetokun can now gather friends and build a school in his capacity? That's wrong.

There is a difference..... He didn't use the DSS because he knew it was not in any core mandate of the DSS as it had nothing to do with security or intelligence.

Try to do some research, it will help you.
Grab a copy of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

Overland Airways has announced the resumption of flight services to Warri (Osubi Airport), Delta State, from Lagos and Abuja, effective May 20, 2025.

Overland Airways will operate the Warri-Lagos-Warri route and the Warri-Abuja-Warri route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, offering morning arrival and departure into and from Warri.

Chief Operating Officer of Overland Airways, Mrs Aderonke Emmanuel-James, said: “Overland Airways resumption of flight services to Warri is in response to the yearnings of our customers for reliable air transport to connect the city and its environs with Abuja and Lagos.

“This flight will support important economic and social linkages between the people of Delta State and other parts of Nigeria. Passengers on the Warri service can connect seamlessly across our network to destinations in Northern and Southwestern Nigeria.

To fully support this aspiration, we are deploying on the route our brand-new Embraer E-175 jet aircraft, which features Premium and Economy Class cabins.”

Overland Airways expanding route network has seen the restoration of flight services from Lagos and Abuja to Jalingo, Taraba State; and commencement of new services from Lagos and Abuja to Minna, Niger State.

The Warri route is the latest route, while plans are afoot to launch other routes in the months ahead.

“We have commenced with three weekly flight services from Warri to Abuja and Lagos with plans to scale up the services to a daily operation in the coming weeks. We express our appreciation to the Management and Staff of Osubi Airport for their support and assure our customers of the consistent and reliable flight services that Overland Airways is noted for,” James added.

Overland Airways’ service offering has evolved from an all-turboprop fleet to a mixed fleet with the introduction of brand-new Embraer E175 jets. In October 2024, Overland Airways renewed its IOSA safety certification for the 5th consecutive time, reaffirming its position as a safe and leading African carrier.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi SAN has disclosed that the Federal government has recovered the sum $200 million and another $10 million award it deposited as bond in a UK court towards its defence of the $11 billion arbitral award to Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Ltd.
Fagbemi, who commended President Bola Tinubu and the legal team for achieving this feat made the disclosure during a visit by a team of lawyers who defended the country in the UK to the Ministry led by Shaistah Akhtar.

The minister equally commended the efforts of Akhtar and a former Director of Legal in the ministry, Kofo Salam-Alada, in the legal victory and recovery of funds to the Federal Government.

“The whole country has celebrated our success in the Process & Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) case and applauded my resilience and determination not to negotiate or settle with the fraudsters but many do not know that my strength was derived from dedicated and uprightness of the FGN-P&ID coordinating team which was led by Kofo Salam-Alada who gave me the necessary support.”

Fagbemi also wished Salam-Alada happy retirement from the service, saying So, it is personally disheartening for me to bid Kofo farewell from the public service career, but I have taken solace in the fact that a golden fish has no hiding place and it therefore certain that the country will continue to beckon on him for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Speaking earlier, Akthar, who was accompanied by Lydia Allaby, explained that the $10m paid was to Nigeria from the $20m awarded in favour of Nigeria after P&ID lost the case. She, however, added that the outstanding $10m is a subject of legal challenge by the firm.

She noted that the Nigerian case was among the only 14% of successful challenges against arbitral award cases.

A Court of Appeal in the United Kingdom has dismissed the appeal of Process & Industrial Development, P&ID, on a previous judgment halting the enforcement of its $11 billion award against Nigeria.

In a unanimous decision, Lord Justice Snowden, the lead judge, permitted P&ID to appeal the judgment but dismissed the appeal.
The two other judges are Lord Justice Fraser and Julian Flaux.

P&ID had entered into a deal in 2010 to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State but the company said the agreement collapsed because the Nigerian government did not fulfil its end of the bargain.

The Nigerian government alleged that the gas deal was a scam conceived to defraud the country.
But P&ID denied the allegation and accused the Nigerian government of “false allegations and wild conspiracy theories”.

Consequently, P&ID took legal recourse and secured an arbitral award against the country.
On January 31, 2017, a tribunal ruled that Nigeria should pay P&ID $6.6 billion as damages, as well as pre and post-judgment interest at seven per cent, which later amounted to $11 billion.

In October 2023, Robin Knowles, justice of the commercial courts of England and Wales, halted the enforcement of the award by upholding Nigeria’s prayer that it was obtained by fraud and in violation of section 68 of the English Arbitration Act 1996.

The judge found that P&ID paid bribes to Nigerian officials involved in the drafting of the gas supply and processing agreement, GSPA, in 2010.

According to the Nigerian Army in a statement on Friday, May 23, 2025, some terrorists drowned while others were shot dead when they were fleeing after troops launched an attack on their enclaves in Katsina State.

The Nigerian Army announced the development on its X handle on Friday night, saying 21 terrorists either got drowned or were shot dead when troops of Joint Task Force, North West, codenamed "Operation Fasan Yama," raided the enclaves in Ruwan Godiya, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, today, May 23, 2025.

According to the report, the troops subdued the terrorists in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon their enclaves and flee, adding that during the ensuing pursuit, 21 terrorists died, with some drowning in a nearby river.

The Nigerian Army wrote: "The operation also yielded a significant seizure of large cache of arms and ammunition, including guns, magazines, explosives, communication devices, mobile phones, and motorcycles."

The Nigerian Army displayed the photographs of the dead terrorists on its X platform, but the photographs may be too gory to be posted in this article.

It will be recalled that the Nigerian Army on Thursday announced that its soldiers killed six members of the insurgents, Boko Haram, while they were stealing food items from a broken-down vehicle in Borno State.

The Army said troops of the Operation Hadin Kai in conjunction with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) carried out the attack in Rann, one of the towns in the state.

According to the Army, the troops and CJTF members sighted the insurgents on the highway in the town when they swooped on a broken-down truck carrying food items, and they were already looting the vehicle when the troops launched an attack on them.

Below is the screenshot of the latest onslaught by the soldiers:

A journalist and media activist, Maazi Obinna Oparaku Akuwudike, has been arrested by the Nigerian police.

Obinna was reportedly arrested at 3:00 a.m. on Thursday in Owerri, Imo State, in what sources believe is connected to a recent explosive interview he granted to journalist Adeola Fayehun on her YouTube channel.

During the interview, Obinna revealed that Sandra Duru, also known as Prof Mgbeke, paid him a significant sum of money to produce defamatory content aimed at discrediting Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Obinna, who clarified his initial engagement with Duru as a standard media production contract, said he became uncomfortable with the assignment after discovering inconsistencies in her claims.

“I received money for producing videos but grew concerned after noticing inconsistencies in Duru’s public statements,” he said.

He explained that after hearing certain controversial remarks made by Duru during a livestream, he decided to publicly withdraw from the assignment and expose what he described as fabricated lies against Senator Natasha.

“All the claims made against Senator Natasha were false and part of a broader smear campaign,” he asserted.

Obinna’s arrest has sparked concerns of a wider conspiracy, with speculation that it may be aimed at silencing a key whistleblower in the alleged smear campaign against Senator Natasha, who had previously accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Observers fear the arrest could be politically motivated and an attempt to intimidate voices speaking out against powerful figures.

Police Respond

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command, DSP Henry Okoye confirmed the arrest.

“Yes, he is confirming a case we are investigating. Initially, he was the complainant in the matter. But then he posted another video on social media which resulted in a defamation of character against one Sandra Duru,” the spokesperson said.

“We served him an invitation and asked him to come and explain the things he had said. He did not report on time. In fact, he refused to report, and then we arrested him. But there is no cause for alarm. We are going to carry out a diligent investigation, and at the end of the day, justice will be served.”

The Nigerian Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai and its Air Component have repelled a coordinated attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on Damboa town, killing 16 insurgents in a fierce overnight battle.

This was made known in a post on X by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region, disclosing that the attack occurred at about 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, when the terrorists simultaneously targeted the Azir Bridge axis and the 25 Task Force Brigade location in Damboa.

Damboa, located in southern part of Borno, has been a frequent target of ISWAP attacks due to its strategic location.

Makama said he was informed by intelligence sources that the troops, supported by indirect fire and air interdictions from the Air Component Command, engaged the terrorists in a sustained firefight that lasted over two hours.

“The main thrust of the terrorists was the brigade location in Damboa, where they attacked en masse. However, the troops responded decisively with heavy firepower, leading to a significant number of enemy casualties,” one of the sources said.

“At least 16 bodies of the terrorists were recovered after the exchange, with several others believed to have fled with gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, two soldiers paid the supreme price during the gun battle with the terrorists,” the security expert said.

Makama also said sources confirmed that while the troops were able to bring the situation under control, an explosion from one of the terrorists’ projectiles caused a fire at an ammunition storage facility, which caused impact to two structures. The fire was promptly contained.

He added that pursuit operations are currently ongoing to track down fleeing terrorists, while clearance operations continue around the general area.

Mbanda:
Why is it that in this country no politician is devoid of lies and propaganda? Even sowore of all people is now a liar and propagandist.

Nawa o!

The State Chairmen of the Labour Party in the North Central geo-political zone of the country have vowed to continue to give maximum support to the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure in spite of the numerous political challenges he is currently facing.

The LP chairmen also condemned the recent actions of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, who they accused of trying to cause confusion in the party for selfish reasons.

The Nasarawa State Chairman of the Labour Party, Alexander Ombugu, who spoke for the North Central Chairmen, disclosed this while speaking with Journalists on Wednesday in Lafia, the state capital.

According to him, Abure was duly elected during the March 2024 Nnewi national convention of the party, and therefore will continue to get the full support of the North Central chairmen until the expiration of his tenure.

He further revealed that the forum of LP Chairmen in the zone, comprising Abuja, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Kwara and Plateau statses had recently payed a solidarity visit to Abure in Abuja to assure him of their continuous support despite his travails.

While emphasising that there is currently no faction in the Labour Party as it is being rumoured, Ombugu also assured the National Working Committee of the party that the North Central Chairmen will continue to stand with the party both in good and challenging times.

He said, “The Labour Party does not have any faction. I am surprised to hear some people saying there is a faction in the party. How is there a faction when we have an elected National Chairman and other executives who are currently occupying their positions?

“Our National Chairman is Julius Abure and he is the only person that we know. Any other person parading himself or herself as the national chairman should be seen as a joker by Nigerians.”

Ombugu further accused the 2023 Presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti of trying to cause disunity among stakeholders of the party, which, if not properly addressed, could affect the chances of the party during the 2027 general election.

He noted that the North Central is the heartbeat of the Labour Party, explaining that the support base of the party was why Peter Obi got massive votes in the zone during the 2023 presidential election.

He, therefore urged Peter Obi and Alex Otti to as a matter of urgency, align themselves with the leadership of the party to enable them discuss their challenges, if any, with the national chairman and the National Working Committee of the party, with a view to addressing the issues.

“You see that we won the presidential election with a landslide here in Nasarawa State. Even Peter Obi benefited from our efforts.

“As of the time we finished our convention at Nnewi, Peter Obi was cooperating very well with us, but since Governor Alex Otti started creating confusion in the party, Obi stopped giving us the needed cooperation. Since then, he has not been working with us as expected.

“However, as a party that loves and cares for its members, we are urging them to change for the better. Labour Party believes in unity of purpose. In the party, everybody is important. We do not discriminate. So, we will be happy if they come forward to the leadership of the party so that their complaints or challenges can be addressed,” Ombugu added.

The Nasarawa State LP Chairman further used the opportunity to appeal to all aggrieved members of the party either at the national, state, local government or ward levels to put aside their differences and settle all the issues amicably in order to ensure victory for the party during the 2027 general elections.