Reagan Ufomba, a former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has officially resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and moved to the Labour Party, LP.

Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, receiving Ufomba and his supporters into LP on Wednesday at Okpuala Ngwa, said the defection is a boost to the Labour Party and to the development of the State.

The Governor described the Labour Party as a party that was based on equity, inclusiveness and equal opportunities for all members and assured the new entrants that they would not be subjected to discrimination by old LP members.

The interesting thing about the Labour Party is that there is no discrimination.

“We have no old and new members,” Governor Otti said.

The Governor commended Chief Ufomba for his support to the reform agenda of the administration and his commitment to the development of the State.

Earlier in his speech, Ufomba had also pledged his commitment to contributing to the growth and progress of Abia State under the platform of Labour Party.

He appreciated Alex Otti and the LP leadership in Abia State for taking him into their fold.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it would formally provide political parties with an Access Code on June 26 so they can upload the information of the candidates who won the recently ended party primaries.
Prof. Joash Amupitan, the commission’s chairman, revealed the information during a Tuesday meeting in Abuja with the national heads of the political parties.

Amupitan also voiced concern about how the commission’s efforts to focus on the general election preparations for the following year are being seriously hampered by the startlingly high rate of intraparty lawsuits among political party leaders.

He also warned the political parties that the stakeholders’ adherence to the electoral rules in the run-up to the polls will determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections.

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John Odigie-Oyegun, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has raised alarm over the increasing trend of defections, resignations and party hopping among political leaders, describing the development as a reflection of deeper problems in the country’s political system.

The former governor said this on Sunday while speaking in Benin, Edo State. He said the frequent movement of politicians from one party to another after disagreements raises questions on the commitment of the country’s political class to national development and the welfare of citizens.

Odigie-Oyegun said that the increasing rate of political leaders defecting from their parties points to the fact that the nation’s democratic structure is yet to address the fundamental issues.

He said that in his opinion, the attitude of some politicians does not seem to be driven by a real desire to solve the problems facing Nigerians including economic hardship and insecurity.

“If political actors really wanted to rescue the country and improve the lives of citizens, we wouldn’t be witnessing much of the political realignment going on now ahead of the 2027 general elections,” he said.

The ADC stalwart observed that the political class seemed to be out of touch with realities on ground facing the ordinary Nigerians, adding that its actions often didn’t reflect true commitment to national progress.

“If political leaders were really inspired by the desire to save the country, many of the things we are witnessing as the build-up to the 2027 elections would not have happened,” he said.

He argued that the focus should be on solving pressing national problems, not on political machinations that did little to improve the lives of the people.

Odigie-Oyegun also urged opposition figures across the country to consider their motives and determine whether what they are doing is truly to assist suffering Nigerians.

He stressed the need for opposition leaders to stay on course to providing solutions to the country’s challenges instead of narrow political ambitions.

The former governor, however, was confident in the prospects of the opposition, despite his concerns, saying that the creation of a level playing field and strong institutions could create the conditions for a change in political leadership.

If the electoral process and state institutions work fairly and transparently, the opposition can even defeat the ruling party,” he said.

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A House of Representatives hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for Akwanga/Nasarawa Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituency, David Ayuba Dumwe has dragged the Federal High Court Lafia to contest the alleged emergence of Beauty Sudar Aliyu as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 general elections.

In suit number FHC/LF/CS/9/2026, Dumwe is seeking a judicial intervention over what he called an unlawful declaration of a candidate without due consultation and compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The second and third defendants are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Beauty Sudar Aliyu respectively.

The plaintiff says in court documents that the PDP declared Aliyu as its consensus candidate without his consent as an aspirant and without a valid primary election for the constituency.

According to Dumwe, the move was allegedly in violation of the recognized democratic processes and the pertinent clauses pertaining to the nomination of candidates for public offices.

Thus the aspirant is praying that the court determines the legality of the purported consensus arrangement and the party’s nomination process for the federal constituency seat.

He said that every aspirant looking for an elective position under a political party is entitled to a fair and legal process as provided for in the Electoral Act and the constitution of the party.

The suit comes at a time of heightened political activities and consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections as parties across the country conclude processes for selection of candidates.

The Federal High Court in Lafia has adjourned hearing of the matter until June 16, 2026.

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The former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has accused the opposition coalition of shortchanging Nigerians’ expectations.

Dalung was quoted to have said this in an interview on Friday, when he featured as a guest on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’.

He lamented that the coalition that would have saved Nigeria in the 2027 general elections has been overtaken by greed.

The split among opposition leaders dashed Nigerians’ expectations, he said.

The former minister said: “Greed has taken over. Then you see the flowering of individual ambition and interest, and the list of presidential candidates seems endless.

“The opposition political elites are more interested in their personal ambition to access power and that is why they are fragmented from one political party to the other.

“Nigeria has reverted to the politics of the First Republic where regions had their own political parties. The election is already split on those lines, since almost all the zones have presidential hopefuls.

“So ultimately in 2027 we might have a serious confusion as we move forward to election, because everybody now is going to hold on to his region. The candidates will focus on votes from their respective regions.”

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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the party has not published the official list of candidates that emerged from its primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Yilwatda revealed on Thursday that no final decision on the candidates who emerged from its recent nationwide primaries had been taken as petitions and appeal reports were being reviewed by its legal department and the National Working Committee (NWC).

The party’s chairman, APC, said it would not submit any list of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) until the reviews were completed.

Some aggrieved stakeholders in the Niger South Senatorial District stormed the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday to demand the cancellation of the senatorial primary election conducted in the district. It was gathered that Yilwatda made the position of the party known.

Protesters alleged widespread irregularities in the exercise and called for a fresh primary election, insisting that the process that produced a candidate for the district did not reflect the wishes of party members.

On behalf of the protesters, the Deputy National Secretary of the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs), Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, alleged that there was no genuine primary election, with results announced before voting materials reached the designated centres.

He said party members in the predominantly Nupe speaking district had assembled and were waiting to vote when they were told that the results had already been declared.

He also alleged that the result was announced at the Government House in Minna rather than at the APC zonal office in Bida, where senatorial primary results were usually declared.

The protesters said the departure from established procedures raised questions about the credibility of the exercise and suggested the outcome had been predetermined.

“We want justice and a new, open and transparent primary election. “What happened can’t be called a democratic process,” another protester said.

The stakeholders also urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure fairness and justice and appealed to the APC leadership to intervene to address the grievances of the party members.

Yilwatda said in response that the procedures for challenging the outcome of primaries were clearly spelled out in the Electoral Act and the party’s internal guidelines.

He said only the candidates who participated in the contested primaries have the legal right to challenge the process and submit formal complaints to the party’s Appeal Committee.

The APC chairman said the party’s legal department was currently reviewing reports from the various appeal committees and that all petitions submitted within the stipulated timeframe would be looked into.

He therefore advised the aggrieved aspirants to go through the laid-down channels to submit their objections.

“You should advise the affected aspirants to properly document any grievances and ensure that they are lodged through the approved channels. The Appeal Committee reports are already with the legal department for review,” he said.

Yilwatda told the protesters any complaint on real breach of party rules or electoral procedures will be given due consideration.

He said once the legal department has finished its review, the reports would be sent to the National Working Committee for consideration before the party submits its final list of candidates.

“The process is not complete until all appeal reports are reviewed. “We are waiting for the report of the legal department, after which the National Working Committee will take the necessary decisions in line with due process,” he said.

Yilwatda’s comments show the growing concern of APC members and aspirants over the delay in the release of the final list of party’s candidates for the 2027 general elections.

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Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said that his former principal, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are not opposition leaders but office seekers.

Baba-Ahmed made the statement on Thursday while responding to questions on Trust TV.

He was talking about the upcoming 2027 general elections and the prospects of the opposition political parties.

“Peter Obi was my boss, and is still my boss. We still have a good relationship, and I hope we can somehow collaborate in the very near future.

“Because I would rather move away from the individuals, speak about the variables in Nigeria politics. The variables is that most of us refer to them as opposition.

“Peter Obi and Atiku are not opposition, but mere office seekers. Opposition is active, actually technically taking on the mis-ruling government every action. You come out not only when it is time to seek particular office.

“Left to me, right from 2023, Peter Obi and everybody else should have continued that tempo I started about constitutional breach,” he said.

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Former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed has described his former principal, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar as not opposition leaders but office seekers.

Baba-Ahmed made the statement on Thursday while responding to questions on Trust TV.

He was talking about the upcoming 2027 general elections and the prospects of the opposition political parties.

“Peter Obi was my boss and he still remains my boss. We still have a good relationship and I hope we can somehow do something together in the very near future.

“Because I would rather move away from the individuals, speak about the variables in Nigeria politics. The variables is that most of us refer to them as opposition.

“Peter Obi and Atiku are not opposition, but mere office seekers. Opposition is active, actually technically taking on the mis-ruling government every action. You come out not only when it is time to seek certain office.

“Left to me, from right about 2023, Peter Obi and everybody else should have continued that tempo I started about constitutional breach.

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Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, says any vote for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is a vote for president Bola Tinubu.

Okonkwo told Symfoni in an interview.

He said, “You are either working for Tinubu directly or indirectly because when you divide the votes of some of the coalition or the opposition, you are still making Tinubu to win.

“No one forced Peter Obi to join the ADC. He went himself. One week to the end of the closure of time, he went out and gave reasons. What was that reason?

‘You can’t compete in primaries and you want to be a president of a challenged country.

“Let me tell you the truth, in 2027, anyone who votes for Peter Obi is voting for Tinubu. “Don’t say I didn’t tell you.

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A coalition of stakeholders from opposition political parties in Gombe State has decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The defectors, who were from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Labour Party pledged their allegiance to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and the governorship aspiration of Dr Jamil Isyaku Gwamna.

The group said its decision is based on a review of results of primary elections held by their former political parties.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Prof Sulaiman Dankande, Nura Abba, Abdullah Amtai, Dedan Mela and Murtala Usman Dukku, said that members resolved to join the APC and work for the emergence of Gwamna as governor in 2027.

The defectors were formally received into the APC by the party chairman in Gombe Local Government Area, Idris Saleh, it was learnt.

Saleh handed them APC membership cards and welcomed them to the ruling party.

The coalition members said their move to the APC was premised on political conviction and the need to align with a platform that could better serve the interest of the state.

They also vowed to work for the success of Tinubu and Gwamna in the next general elections.

The primary elections in their former parties, the outcome of which influenced the decision to look for a new political platform, they said.

They said the development had compelled them to review their political direction before 2027.

After wide consultations among their members and supporters, they agreed to join the APC and support its candidates at national and state levels, they said.

The defection is expected to contribute to the wave of political movements already happening in Gombe State as the parties prepare for the next election cycle.

Meanwhile, former APC National Youth Leader, Sadiq Abubakar has emerged the governorship candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (ADC) in Gombe State.

Abubakar announced his emergence soon after winning the party’s governorship primary election.

His victory comes just weeks after he quit the APC over economic hardship and discontent with policies of the ruling party.

Abubakar said his decision to join the NDC was born out of his desire to be part of a political platform that guarantees transparent and credible primaries elections.

He said the party gave him the opportunity to pursue his political ambition and render service to the people of Gombe State.

According to him, his move to the NDC was also in line with his commitment to contribute to the political development of the state.

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