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Ondo APC Ward Congress Turns Bloody

By
Ayodele Oni
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Ondo APC Ward Congress Turns Bloody

By Ayodele Oni

Violence and protests on Wednesday marred the Ward Congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, with eyewitnesses reporting that not less than three persons have been hospitalized for sustaining serious injuries in Idanre Local Government Area.

According to eyewitness accounts, the victims were allegedly attacked as supporters of rival two leaders from the area tried to install their supporters as ward executives.

This is coming a day after the state chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin and other elders were attacked at the Secretariat during a Stakeholders’ meeting.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has explained that he has no hand in the attack but declared the meeting illegal.

Election in most of the wards in the local government was characterised by violence and shooting by suspected political thugs.

It was gathered that the crisis started when  two political leaders in the area insisted in electing their loyalists to gain control of wards executives.

APC chairman in the state is from the local government.

Weapons were reportedly freely used by party supporters leaving many with injuries while some of the victims sustained life-threatening wounds.

Speaking on the incident during a radio programme in Akure, the spokesperson for the Police Command in the state, Abayomi Jimoh said operatives have been deployed to the area.

“Right now the Commissioner of Police is on ground and the situation is now under control,” he said.

One of the APC chieftains in Idanre described the attack as “serious and frightening.”

In Akure South Local Government Area, the exercise was disrupted by protests and rising tension among party members, who rejected the alleged imposition of Mr. Femi Fadairo as the Returning Officer.

Aggrieved members insisted that Fadairo, an aspirant to the House of Representatives, was previously suspended from Ward 8 over allegations of gross misconduct and violent activities, making his appointment unacceptable to many stakeholders.

Sources also alleged that Fadairo, replaced the list of delegates originally submitted by Akure South leaders with his own, sparking outrage and protests among party members, who described the move as an attempt to manipulate the process.

Eyewitnesses further hinted at the ward Congress was holding amidst unrest in other local government areas of the state.

The ward congress, being held across the 203 wards in the 18 local government areas of the state, is a key process for electing party officials at the grassroots level.

The ward Congress is however not holding in Ekiti state following unresolved crisis which is trailing the governorship primary election since last year.

Recruited Ekiti Teachers Demand Salary After Four Months

By
Ayodele Oni
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Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State

By Ayodele Oni 

 

Some teachers employed last year in Ekiti State have cried out over refusal of the State Government to pay them salaries.

 

The affected teachers, numbering about 2000, were employed in October last year during a recruitment exercise carried out by the Teaching Service Commission and issued with appointment letters.

 

In a letter dated 17th February, signed by a group of Concerned Citizens, reminded the state government that the plight of the teachers, who were posted to secondary schools, was against labour laws.

 

It reads “We, concerned citizens of Ekiti State, write to bring to your attention the issue of non-payment of salaries to TESCOM teachers appointed since October 1, 2025. 

 

“Despite reporting for duty on October 2, 2025, and handing over their appointment letters, which were dated October 1, 2025, to the relevant authorities, they have not received a dime as salary till date.

 

“As you are aware, labour laws are clear on salary payments, stipulating that employees should be paid within 30 days of engagement. 

 

“With over 150 days having passed since their appointment, we find it difficult to understand the justification for this delay. 

 

The affected teachers, who have resumed their duties in various outstations, are facing immense hardship, resorting to borrowing money for basic needs such as transport, house rental, and food.

 

“We are particularly perplexed by the contrast between the treatment of these teachers and other government employees, such as local government workers recruited in December 2025, who received two months’ salaries even before being posted to their respective LCDA or local government areas last Friday.

 

“Mr Governor, we implore you to intervene in this matter and ensure that these teachers are paid all their arrears due to them alongside this February’s salary. 

 

“It is imperative that all TESCOM teachers are captured on the state payroll before February’s salary is paid.

 

“We urge you to treat this matter with urgency and prioritize the welfare of these teachers, who are the future of our state. Failure to address this issue will leave us with no choice but to seek litigation in the industrial court.

 

“We advise that your administration should focus on resolving this issue rather than expending resources on non-essential matters, such as the purchase of forms for APC councillors and chairmanship candidates.”

El-Rufai’s Claim Of Bugging NSA’s Phone, Alarming, His Biggest Political Mistake” – Prof Okey Ikechukwu

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Prof Okey Ikechukwu
Prof Okey Ikechukwu

By Adesina Soyooye

“This is  frightening. I don’t see anybody joking with it”

Professor Okey Ikechukwu, an accomplished academic and political analyst, has come down hard on former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai over the laters claim that he got information from an unknown person who bugged the mobile phone of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu.

Professor Ikechukwu, in his criticism of El-Rufai’s comment described it as one of the most significant political mistakes of El-Rufai’s public career.

He spoke on Arise Television Tuesday, where he, also, said El-Rufai’s comments were presented as factual assertions rather than speculation, especially, his claim that the NSA’s communication lines were tapped in his favour.

Ikechukwu: “Well, the statements of Nasir El-Rufai are not gestural or, if you like, he wasn’t guessing. He made very specific statements declaring that the communication lines of the NSA is, if you like, tapped.

Nasir El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu
Nasir El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu

“He declared even more convincingly, in case you’re doubting him, that it’s not only the government that has the capacity to do that.”

Breaching the privacy of a public office holder, he maintained,  especially where confidential information is involved, amounts to  a violation of privacy, as well as an intrusion into national security infrastructure.

He emphasized: “You have no right to violate anybody’s privacy. If somebody is holding a public office, and violating the privacy of confidential information or information access to that office it is also a violation of privacy. On top of that, it is an encroachment on the infrastructure of national security.”

He pointed out that El-Rufai’s comments could have serious political implications for him, and noted that it touches sensitive national security concerns.

Ikechukwu: “I may be mistaken, but this seems to me to be one of El-Rufai’s biggest political mistakes in his career as a public officer.”

Ikechukwu, also, said El-Rufai’s statement could raise concerns among countries battling insurgency and terrorism in the region.

His words: “It’s a matter of national security. Remember there are four countries under pressure from Boko Haram and terrorists – Nigeria, Benin, Niger and Chad. Those countries will be interested in his statement.”

He described the situation as alarming, and insisted that the statement may have been made for political advantage but has generated more controversy than expected.

His words: “So this is a frightening statement that has to be treated with every seriousness. It was intended to get political mileage. Well, he has got more mileage than they can handle. I don’t see anybody joking with this.”

Real-time Transmission Of Election Results: NASS Has Committed Treason Against Nigerians – Prof. Utomi

By
James Orji
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Pat Utomi

Prof Pat Utomi, a rights activist has described the amendment of the 2026 Electoral Act by the National Assembly which excluded real-time transmission of election results as a treason against the Nigerian people.

As such, the Professor of Political Economics and Development expert has urged the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to immediately commence treason trial against the lawmakers in the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives.

Prof Utomi spoke on Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, few hours after the lawmakers in both chambers passed the 2026 Electoral Act amendment bill, which has generated serious furore among Nigerians.

The magazine reports that the lawmakers in both chambers had a rowdy session on Wednesday while passing the bill, as some members of the opposition parties in the House of Representatives walked out in protest, while the majority members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC went ahead to pass the bill.

Not a few Nigerians have knocked the lawmakers for ignoring their calls for the a clause requiring the real-time transmission of election results to be included the Act. Other Nigerians while condemning the NASS over the issue, described the lawmakers action as a barefaced robbery of the will of Nigerians.

The magazine also recalls that some Nigerians, including members of the civil society had last week staged a protest to the National Assembly demanding that the clause be included to promote transparent, free and fair elections in the country.

Also on Tuesday, some Nigerians who thronged the NASS to protest the removal of the clause, including fiery Kaduna Pastor, Isa Buba, Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters were teargassed by policemen who claimed they were trying to maintain order. The protesters said their protest was totally peaceful.

Reacting, Prof Utomi  said the lawmakers have deliberately subverted the wills off Nigerians on the issue, saying their action was self-serving, and should not go unpunished.

“what they did is a treason against the country, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice should begin.  to prosecute them,” he said.

He stressed that the lawmakers have decided to represent ‘themselves rather than representing Nigerians, saying their action represents “cheating, stealing and treason”.

Similarly, the lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Victor Ogene, while speaking on the same programme, said it’s a big shame what some lawmakers did yesterday by excluding the clause that required real time election results transmission.

Ogene, the Labour Party, LP Caucus Leader in the Lower Chamber  knocked the APC lawmakers, for citing the absence of internet network in some parts of the country as reasons for not supporting the clause, saying the claim is untrue based on the testimony of the Independent National Electoral Commission,  INEC that over 90 percent of communities in the country have internet facilities.

“I feel a little bit of shame, for some individual to say there’s no internet in their villages. What have they done to bring internet to their villages,” the LP lawmaker said.

Anambra Students To Purchase 2027 Expression of Interest Form For Tinubu

By
The Source
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Bola Ahmed Tinubu

By Charles Igbo

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Anambra State Chapter, is so impressed with the performance of President Bola Tinubu that it has decided to buy the President’s “Expression of Interest Form” for the 2027 election.

The Coordinator of  Association, Speaking at the ETF Hall of Okoye Okpala Michael, who spoke at the  Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam campus,  said the body will  rally over 20,000 youths behind Tinubu.

He commended the President’s leadership and policies which have positively affected  students.

Okpala, for example, pointed out the zero-interest Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a key achievement, and noted that more than ₦183 billion has been disbursed to help 983,706 students continue their education.

Okpara warned against the scrapping of such programs, and emphasized their importance in shaping Nigeria’s future.

Their support for President Tinubu, the students stressed is based on tangible outcomes rather than emotions, and advocated for leadership that eases financial burdens, expands academic opportunities, and promotes an inclusive, student-focused society.

President Tinubu will, in 2027, seek for a second term in office.

Presidency Points Out Differences Between Sunday Igboho And Nnamdi Kanu

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu
Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu

By Ayodele Oni

“Methods, consequences fundamentally different”

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, has pointed out the differences between Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu.

Dare described Sunday Igboho as an Activist, whose focus centres on defending South West communities against criminal activities of rogue herders and peaceful agitation for Yoruba nation.

According to him, however, convicted leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu engaged in insurrection and armed confrontation with the Nigerian state, which resulted in the killing of more than 700 innocent people, and economic paralysis of South East states.

The presidential Aide contended that there was no need to compare both Igboho and Kanu as their activities were distinct.

Kanu, was recently convicted for terrorism by a Federal High Court in Abuja, for engaging in insurrection and armed confrontation with the Nigerian state, which resulted in the killing of more than 700 innocent people, economic paralysis of South East states.

In a statement forwarded to journalists, Dare clarified that there is no basis for comparison between the duo, just as he underscored the need to highlight the differences for better public understanding.

The statement read, “Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB movement involved elements widely associated with insurrection and direct confrontation against the Nigerian state.

This included enforcement of ‘sit-at-home’ orders (often through threats and violence), resulting in numerous deaths (reports cite over 700 fatalities linked to enforcement clashes and defiance killings).

“Other inimical activities include attacks on security forces, destruction of public infrastructure, and the formation of armed groups like ESN.

“Kanu’s rhetoric and actions escalated to calls that many viewed as inciting violence against the state and even against his own people in the South East, who defied orders.

“In contrast, Sunday Igboho’s activism centred on defending Yoruba communities, primarily against alleged killings, kidnappings, and farm destruction by suspected herders. He focused on self-defence, warding off criminal elements from Yoruba land.

“Igboho also deployed peaceful agitation for Yoruba self-determination/Oduduwa Nation without establishing a militia to fight the Nigerian military, without ordering attacks on police/soldiers, and without imposing paralysing enforcement measures like sit-at-home orders that harmed civilians or the economy in his region.

“The line is clear: one crossed into armed rebellion and violent enforcement that affected (and sometimes harmed) his own ethnic group, while the other remained largely defensive and localised against perceived external threats, without the same level of state-targeted insurgency.

“Public discourse should stop equating the two; the contexts, methods, and consequences are fundamentally different.”

Zenith Bank Dissociates Group Chair, Ovia From ‘Fraudulent’ Investment Scheme

By
James Orji
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0
Zenith Bank Plc

Zenith Bank Plc has dissociated its Group Chairman, Jim Ovia  from videos circulating online claiming that he endorsed an investment scheme known as Wealth Bridge. The video is a “fraudulent communication,” the bank said on Tuesday.

The commercial bank, in a statement shared on its verified X handle  urged members of the public to ignore the promotional video, describing it as fake with no ling to the Group Chairman.

The bank said that the videos which circulated through the `Greece Island’ Facebook handle, promised prospective customers of up to two million naira in weekly returns on a contribution of N380, 000 investment.

The bank however warned members of the public who conduct business with the entity that they are doing so at their own risk, as the commercial bank and its chairman has no link whatsoever with it, adding that the claim in the video, to the effect that it has the endorsement of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is untrue.

“The video redirects unsuspecting members of the public to an alleged Arise News webpage with the details of this scheme and an embedded registration portal for signups.

“This claim is entirely false and has no connection whatsoever to the Group Chairman, the Bank or any of its affiliate companies. The general public is hereby advised to disregard these fraudulent communications.

“Anyone who engages with the Greece Island handle, Wealth Bridge, delicious site, AfriQuantumX, Stock market analyst 1 or any other entity on the basis of these fake videos and images published by impostors, does so strictly at his or her own risk,’’ the bank stated.

Ondo APC Crisis: Gov. Aiyedatiwa Declares Stakeholders’ Meeting Chaired By Party Chairman Illegal, Disowns Thugs

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Ade Adetimehin beaten by thugs

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Governor, Lucky  Aiyedatiwa, firmly denied allegations linking him to thugs that invaded the party’s state secretariat on Tuesday, saying the stakeholders meeting holding at that time was illegal.

The governor  clarified that the only legitimate stakeholders’ meeting recognised by him and key party leaders was the one held at 2 p.m., stressing that no authorised meeting was taking place at the time of the earlier disturbance.

Lucky Aiyedatiwa
Ondo State Governor, Lucky  Aiyedatiwa, firmly denied allegations linking him to thugs that invaded the party’s state secretariat.

Suspected thugs had stormed the secretariat, early on Tuesday, assaulted party leaders, and disrupted what was described as a stakeholders’ meeting, with the State Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, attacked and dispossessed of personal belongings.

Speaking after another stakeholders’ meeting, which he presided over, Aiyedatiwa said he was informed around 11 a.m. by the State Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, about plans for a stakeholders’ meeting earlier scheduled for 10 a.m.

According to him, he directed that the meeting be shifted to 2 p.m. because he was attending the 50th birthday celebration of a cabinet member and party stakeholder.

“As governor, I always attend stakeholders’ meetings alongside speaker and the deputy governor. So I asked that it be moved to 2 p.m.,” he explained.

He stated that while preparing to attend the rescheduled meeting, he received reports of some “miscreants” loitering around the secretariat and allegedly attempting to create tension.

“I immediately asked that the Commissioner of Police be contacted. I personally called the CP to ensure the place was secured because I was on my way there,” the governor said.

He added that security operatives were promptly deployed and that by the time he, the Speaker, and other leaders arrived, the secretariat had been secured.

“We had a peaceful stakeholders’ meeting thereafter. The miscreants had been chased away by the police,” he maintained.

Responding to claims that a stakeholders’ meeting had already commenced when the invasion occurred, Aiyedatiwa insisted that no formal meeting was in session at that time.

“That was not a stakeholders’ meeting. The authentic stakeholders’ meeting was the one shifted to 2 p.m.,” he said.

He explained that messages for the earlier 10 a.m. schedule had been sent before he requested the adjustment, and that people were merely arriving at the secretariat when supporters of different aspirants allegedly began causing disturbance.

According to him, the fracas stemmed from tensions among supporters of aspirants contesting various positions ahead of the ward and local government congresses.

The governor further disclosed that he had earlier met with the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) to brief them on the planned congresses.

“I told them that the main congress is tomorrow. They had already mobilised security across the state. The CP was personally present. Security was not taken lightly,” he said.

He emphasised that the police confirmed receiving calls from both him and the party chairman before deploying personnel to the secretariat.

The crisis is believed to be rooted in disagreements over the conduct of the ward congress — whether to proceed with an open contest as directed by the national leadership of the APC or adopt a consensus arrangement.

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed To El-Rufai: “Limit The Damage, Focus On Allegation That You Stole People’s Money”

By
Adesina Soyooye
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0
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed and Nasir el-Rufai

By Adesina Soyooye

Embattled former Governor  of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has been advised to limit the emanating damage around him and focus on the allegation that he stole money which belongs to the people.

The advice to El-Rufai who has spent a second night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, came from Hakeem  Baba-Ahmed, a former Presidential Special Adviser on Political Matters, Office of the Vice President.

Speaking duing a television interview on Tuesday, he decried the bitter relationship between  El-Rufai and National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, and described it as poisonous.

Baba-Ahmed, a strong voice in Northern politics, perhaps, not sure El-Rufai would take his advice pointed out that the former Governor is a difficult person to advice and expressed sadness that the very strong relationship between Ribadu and El-Rufai has become poisoned.

He said:  “I am extremely saddened by the development. I know both gentlemen and the depth of their personal relationship, and I see this as one of the poisonous elements of our politics.

“If you can actually poison a relationship of this nature so deeply, then we are in very serious trouble. It is very saddening to see this relationship degenerate to the point that their personal bond is now so poisoned that nobody seems to consider the consequences. We are dealing with a situation of two friends threatening to take legal action against each other.

“Mallam El-Rufai, by character, is a very difficult person to advise. If I were to advise him, I would say there are so few fronts worth fighting. Try to limit the damage and focus your attention on addressing allegations that you stole money from the people.”

Ribadu and El-Rufai, close friends and strong political allies, but a relationship now estranged, have been throwing allegations at each other in recent weeks. The result I’d that El-Rufai has been charged to court on allegations of cyber crime and more.

“As A Student In Chicago, I Am Witness To How  Jesse Jackson Helped Drive The American Dream” – Tinubu

By
Adesina Soyooye
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President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu

By Adesina Soyooye 

 

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has mourned the passing of the iconic Civil Rights and Baptist Preacher, Rev. Jesse Jackson.

 

Jackson passed on Tuesday, February 17 at the age of 84. He died of parkinson disease.

 

While mourning him, President Tinubu said in the 1970’s, as a student in Chicago, he was a witness to how Jackson helped to drive the American dream.

 

He said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday in which he described Rev. Jackson as “a servant-leader who captured global imagination as a young activist alongside civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.”

 

Jackson, President Tinubu said, “fought for the dignity of black people, the oppressed and the voiceless in the United States and across the world.”

Rev Jesse Jackson
Rev. Jesse Jackson

The president, also noted that Jackson became a national and global icon who demanded improved social and economic conditions for African-Americans. He emphasized that Jackson carried on the unfinished work of Martin Luther King Jr. in the struggle for racial justice.

 

Tinubu: “As a student in the United States in the 1970s, I lived in Chicago, the same city where Reverend Jackson fought the most important battles against injustice.

 

“I witnessed firsthand how, as a faithful servant of God and humanity, he pointed the arc of American society to the great promise of the American dream.”

 

He pointed out that Jackson was influential in American politics and global affairs, and paved the way for Barack Obama as the first Black American President.

 

He said: “When Barack Obama broke the glass ceiling as the first Black President in America, it was Rev. Jackson who first inflicted the cracks on the ceiling in 1984 and again in 1988.”

 

Jackson, he said,  was a great friend of Nigeria and Africa and a formidable voice against apartheid in South Africa, during which time the iconic Jackson played a front-row role in campaigns for the release of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders.

 

Tinubu recalled, also, that Jackson defended human rights and democratic rule during Nigeria’s era of military dictatorship and was appointed Special Envoy by President Bill Clinton to Nigeria and Africa in 1997 and 1999.

 

Jackson promoted civil liberties and helped link African leaders with the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus to advance Africa’s interests, and  remained a strong voice for justice and human progress, inspiring people to “keep hope alive”.

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