Samuel Oyedotun, a former senatorial aspirant for Osun East, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to incite political violence in Osun State, saying no political ambition is worth the shedding of blood.

Oyedotun’s warning followed reports of shooting incidents in parts of the state Tuesday afternoon. He said the alleged shootings had heightened tension in areas including Ile-Ife, Owode Ede, Aregbe, Olaiya, Old Garage and Oke Fia.
Oyedotun, a US-trained mortgage stockbroker and former chairman of the Osun State Water Corporation Board, told politicians in a statement yesterday to put the peace of Osun above personal interest.

He said the Osun APC should not “set the state on fire” because of “inordinate ambition. “Any political office is not worth the blood of any son or daughter of Osun.”

He said the shooting spree was a “red flag” that must not be ignored, saying tolerating violence creates room for gunmen and cultists to thrive.

Osun has made progress under the present administration, the Accord Party chieftain said, urging political actors to sustain the gains through peaceful conduct.

He also stressed that elections should be held without fear and that those responsible for the violence should be held accountable.

He urged security agencies to arrest the perpetrators and be on alert ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

But the APC governorship campaign council dismissed the allegations, claiming that the attack was allegedly perpetrated by a political thug working for the state government.

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The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, is set to dump the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following negotiations between the two camps.

The reports said talks are at an advanced stage and a final meeting is expected to be held to decide the outcome of the talks.

Musa Ungogo, the ADC Chairman in Kano State, confirmed that talks were ongoing, adding that the move was initiated by Gawuna and not the party.

“The story going round that the ADC approached Gawuna is not true. It was Gawuna who came to us. He sent a delegation to meet us and we have been in talks since then,” Ungogo added.

Ungogo said the representatives of Gawuna included former Kumbotso Local Government Chairman, Sagir Fanshekara and Hon.

The delegation met the party leadership and submitted several demands, he revealed.

One of them is the call for the adoption of Gawuna as the ADC governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The delegation also called for political accommodation for some of Gawuna’s loyalists interested in State House of Assembly and National Assembly tickets.

Ungogo said Gawuna’s camp proposed a consensus arrangement, with other governorship aspirants stepping down for him.

“They came with a number of requests. One of their major demands is that Dr Gawuna should be the party’s governorship candidate. They also requested opportunities for some of their supporters who are interested in the state assembly and National Assembly tickets,” he said.

“They told us that even if the party settled for primaries, aspirants should step down for him because he is said to have political strength in several local government areas and has the capacity to lead the party to victory.

“They requested for a consensus arrangement and also requested that the other aspirants support him,” he said.

The party will take a decision after it receives a formal written submission on all the demands, the ADC chairman added.

“We asked them to give us a written document with all their requests in it. They were also required to state the positions they are seeking and the local government areas where they have interests.

“We have another meeting scheduled for today. “We will make our position known and will study the document carefully when we get it,” he said.

Ungogo said no agreement had been reached despite the ongoing talks.

Consultations are continuing. Nothing has been decided yet. “We want a solution that is acceptable to all the stakeholders and beneficial to the party,” he said.

A close aide of Gawuna also confirmed that consultations were on-going but did not give further details.

I am not his spokesman, nor am I authorised to speak on the matter. “What I can say is that the consultations are ongoing,” the source said.

This is the latest development after Gawuna left the APC and later joined the NDC with Rabiu Kwankwaso and members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement months ago.

On his defection to the NDC, Gawuna got the Kano Central senatorial ticket, while the party settled for Aminu Gwarzo as its consensus governorship candidate.

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Rabiu Kwankwaso, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, is accused of threatening to leave the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), however the movement has addressed this.

Habibu Mohammed, the party’s spokesperson, stated in a statement that Kwankwaso has never threatened to quit the party over the candidates’ replacements.

The group called the conjecture “rumors.”

“Kwankwaso never made an NDC exit threat. The Kwankwasiyya Movement and its leader are not complaining, according to the statement.

According to reports, the Kwankwasiyya Movement would leave the party if loyalists who had previously been selected by the bloc were removed.

Recall that the rumors surfaced after the group substituted a number of candidates, allegedly violating an earlier power-sharing agreement. Mohammed denied the accusations.

The group’s spokesperson said that the winners were confirmed the same day and that the party primaries were held on May 29 in accordance with the Electoral Act and INEC regulations.

He claimed that the NDC members and stakeholders had previously decided on a consensus model when needed, adopted candidates in accordance with it, and presented the list without internal disputes.

Kwankwaso had not expressed any complaints to the party regarding the initiative, he continued.

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In a demonstration before the Federal High Court in Abuja, members of the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) called on the judiciary to refrain from being used to suppress opposition parties in Nigeria.

The protest coincides with the ongoing legal dispute between the group led by Nafiu Bala and the ADC lead by David Mark.

The demonstrators claimed that Bala’s action, which the Supreme Court remanded to the Federal High Court, was a ruse to divert attention away from the opposing political party.

Recall that in April, INEC de-recognized David Mark’s leadership of the party after the Supreme Court overturned an order from the Court of Appeal in Abuja instructing the parties to preserve the status quo ante bellum in the leadership struggle.

In a five-member panel’s unanimous decision, the Supreme Court directed the parties to return to the Federal High Court for a prompt hearing of the lawsuit brought by Nafiu Bala, a chieftain who felt wronged.

Details to come.

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Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso has kicked against a reported move by leadership of the party to drop some party candidates loyal to Kwankwaso.

It was learnt that NDC has replaced some of the candidates earlier submitted by the Kwankwasiyya faction in Kano State, over an alleged breach of a power-sharing agreement.

A document purportedly signed by Kano State Chairman of the party, Hon. Hussaini Isah Mairiga, said the changes were made to reflect the earlier agreement on the distribution of party positions and elective tickets between the existing NDC structure and the Kwankwasiyya bloc.

The document, copied to the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, leader of Kwankwasiyya, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the party’s North-West Zonal Chairman, changed the list of both federal and state house assembly candidates.

When contacted on Monday, the Kwankwassiyya Movement’s national spokesman, Habib Mai-Lemo, dismissed the document arguing that due process was followed before aspirants from the camp of Mr. Kwankwaso became candidates.

Mai-Lemo said the Kwankwassiyya Movement will for now, treat the report as a rumour, considering that the state chairman of the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC were part of the processes that produced the affected candidates.

“I also saw on social media that some candidates are being dropped a week after the primaries were conducted,” he said.

“It wasn’t Kwankwaso who sold nomination forms, it was the party and therefore processes were followed either through consensus or primary election.

“All candidates were involved in the process from start to finish. ‘While the processes were going on we never had any complaints from anyone. We didn’t block nobody to buy the forms cause the first place we didn’t sell the forms.

“All the candidates went through due processes. “We are waiting to see if it is true or not, we don’t know where this issue is coming from as we have not seen a copy of the letter that is supposed to be signed by the State Chairman of the NDC”.

“We know the state played a part in the process. “So for now, we are treating it as a rumour. He was around on the day of consensus, even INEC was around.

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Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, has been accused of hijacking party structure in the North West

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the party’s Northwest Vice Chairman Mohammed Rabiu Serina and Kano State Chairman Hussaini Isa Mariga, respectively.

They accused the former Kano state governor of barring non-Kwankwasiyya members from contesting for elective offices on its platform.

The duo stated that they are pioneer members of the party, appointed by the party’s National Leader, former Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, before the party was registered and subsequently confirmed as substantive officers at congresses and the national convention.

Serina and Mariga also said they helped build the party structures across Kano State and the North West before Kwankwaso and his supporters joined the party.

“The problems started when Kwankwaso wanted to take over the party structure in Kano State in the state congresses.

“The disagreement led to the intervention of the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson who convened a meeting and brokered an agreement which gave Kwankwaso and his supporters 60 per cent control of the party structure in Kano while the party retained 40 per cent,” the party officials said.

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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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Iyabo Obasanjo, a former senator from Ogun Central and the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing persistent marginalization, rejection, and unfair treatment by Ogun State’s party leadership.

In a resignation letter dated May 31 and delivered to Yemi Sanusi, the state party chairman, Obasanjo—who recently ran for the APC governorship in Ogun State—announced her decision.

The US-based epidemiologist and former congressman criticized the consensus arrangement that resulted in Solomon Adeola, also known as Yayi, as the party’s nominee for governor, claiming that it did not follow the APC’s set rules.

She claimed that although she had promised to back any candidate chosen through a consensual process, she was not consulted or involved prior to Adeola’s eventual announcement as the party’s preferred candidate.

She further claimed that several of her supporters were intimidated during the exercise and were not allowed to enter the location where the candidate was unveiled.

Despite her reservations, Obasanjo stated that she congratulated Adeola as soon as he emerged as the candidate and accepted the result for the sake of party unity.

She revealed that the senator later asked to meet with her supporters, who made three demands. But more than two months later, she said, no response had been received, even though she had promised to reply within a week.

The development, according to the former senator, reaffirmed what she called a persistent pattern of contempt and undervaluation for her position within the party.

“I promised to back any candidate chosen by consensus, but I wasn’t informed before to Senator Adeola’s announcement. Some of my fans were threatened and refused access to the event. However, I publicly congratulated him that same evening and accepted the choice for the sake of unity,” she said.

She continued by saying that even though Adeola later met with her supporters and pledged to address concerns brought up at the meeting, no response had been received.

Obasanjo claims that the treatment she endured beyond the primary was indicative of ongoing disdain and rejection, which ultimately affected her choice to quit the party.

She did, however, thank President Bola Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership, and party members for their support and kindness throughout her tenure in the APC.

Earlier this year, Obasanjo enrolled as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State, marking her comeback to partisan politics.

Before serving Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011, she held the position of Ogun State Commissioner for Health from 2003 to 2007.

She moved to the United States after her unsuccessful 2011 reelection attempt, and she mostly avoided active politics until late 2025, when her image appeared on campaign billboards throughout Ogun State, hinting at a potential comeback ahead of the 2027 governorship contest.

Before finally declaring her resignation from the party, she later expressed her desire to run for Ogun governor on the APC platform.

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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied promising any of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senators who lost in the party primaries that they would be given return tickets for the next election.

His comments were taken out of context, he said, and he only expressed concern for senators that were impacted by the results of the primaries.

No one had been promised tickets, there was no report of that.

However, his media aide, Eseme Sunday Eyiboh, denied reports that Akpabio promised senatorial tickets to losing aspirants. It said he did not approve or authorise such claims.

The statement added that the Senate President only spoke in a general discussion with his colleagues where he expressed sympathy over their situation.

It also pointed out that the leadership of the APC is already dealing with issues that arose after the primaries and that the final list of candidates will be in line with the party’s rules and guidelines.

Akpabio also said he respects party processes and will not interfere in how candidates are chosen within the party structure.

The statement partly read, “The attention of the Office of the President of the Senate has been drawn to misleading reports making the rounds in some sections of the media that the President of the Senate has promised to deliver senatorial tickets to Senators who lost their party primaries.

“We want to state categorically that this report does not represent the position of the President of the Senate. Just for the record, Senator Akpabio has not made such a promise nor has he authorised any one to make such a promise.

“What the President of the Senate actually said, in the course of interacting with his colleagues, was to empathize with senators who were negatively affected by the outcome of their primary elections.

He assured them that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was on top of all issues arising from the primaries and that the final list of candidates would be released in due course in line with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines.

“Senator Akpabio is still committed to party discipline, due process and the internal mechanisms of the APC for dispute resolution.

“He will not interfere in the autonomous processes of the party or make commitments that are beyond the purview of the National Assembly leadership.”

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Ehiozuwa Agbonayinwa, a senatorial aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Edo South, has said he regrets leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the NDC.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Agbonayinwa said his movement to the NDC had become from frying pan to hellfire.

He spoke during an interview on Arise News’ News Day, it was reported Friday.

Agbonayinwa said he won the NDC senatorial primary for Edo South but was being denied the chance to appear on the ballot.

He said the party conducted a direct primary after aspirants could not agree on a consensus candidate.

“I’ve moved from frying pan to hellfire,” said Agbonayinwa. We had the direct primary after we couldn’t find consensus. And we couldn’t do that, they kept us in the room at the time with all other contestants for us to step down for each other.

“We went through intense processes. I know they are new, but this is something I have never had with APC or PDP. Never. where people were asked to go for the primary… The primary was conducted today, June 5, and elections have not been announced.” May 29 was the day the primary was conducted.

The former governorship aspirant alleged that the national leader of the NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, encouraged him to buy the senatorial expression of interest and nomination forms.

He however said Dickson had later denied ever asking him to do so.

“The national leader of NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, who is a very good friend and brother to me for many years,” Agbonayinwa added. We’re colleagues. He was governor, now senator, a brother I hold in deep respect.

When we were to leave NDC, I called him. He sent it to me and said I should go to the house.

“I went to his house, and he said, ‘Why can’t you go to the Senate under NDC?’ I say I will think about it, and for me, I was going for the House of Reps but when he offered that, I started thinking, I say I will consult with my leaders, which I did, and I told him, thank you.

“But to my greatest surprise, the same man who asked me to go and buy the form, we had a meeting this morning and he said he never said so.”

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