The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.

Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.

The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.

According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.

“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.

Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.

Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.

His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.

A member of the team that accompanied the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, has challenged Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo’s account of the airport parking controversy, insisting the minister’s narrative does not relate to the incident Obi referenced.Government

Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch

Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.

“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.

She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.

According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government

“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.

She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.

“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”

Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.

President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.

This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.

The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.

The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.

Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.

The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.

According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.

INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.

The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.

The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.

Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.

Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.

Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.

Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.

The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.

Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.

He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.

Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.

“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.

Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.

“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.

Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.

According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.

He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.

“I am sure that, together with members of the public who are APC sympathisers, friends of the party, and beneficiaries of the programmes of Mr. President, they will overwhelmingly vote for him. I can’t imagine the over 1.5 million students who are receiving student loans. They have families and friends, and they are part of a larger group that will overwhelmingly vote for Mr. President for supporting their education.”

By PETRUS OBI

For more than three years, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has pursued a political strategy that stands out in Nigeria’s often turbulent succession politics.

Rather than engaging in public confrontation with his predecessor, Engr Dave Umahi, he has consistently chosen restraint, patience and consensus-building.

That approach has helped preserve political stability in Ebonyi.

Unlike many successor administrations that descend into open conflict with former governors, Nwifuru has continued to project respect for the man who played a decisive role in his emergence as governor.

Publicly, both leaders have repeatedly affirmed their relationship and their commitment to moving the state forward.

Yet politics is often shaped less by public declarations than by the struggle for influence behind closed doors.

Across Ebonyi, there is growing speculation that a quiet contest for political supremacy is gradually unfolding between the governor and his predecessor.

While neither camp has openly acknowledged any rift, recent political developments have fuelled perceptions that both men are steadily consolidating their respective political structures ahead of the 2027 elections.

One of the most discussed examples is the “tussle for the APC ticket for the Afikpo North/Edda Federal Constituency. Governor Nwifuru was widely believed to have preferred the return of the incumbent representative, Idu Igariwey. However, the table was recently turned for the emergence of Ekumankama, who is widely seen as enjoying the backing of Umahi. This has been interpreted by many political observers as evidence that the former governor still commands considerable influence within the party.

Whether or not that interpretation is entirely accurate, the episode reinforced one political reality: while Nwifuru controls the Government House, Umahi remains one of the most influential figures in Ebonyi politics.

It is an unusual political equation. One man possesses the constitutional powers of incumbency, while the other retains an extensive political network built during eight years as governor and now occupies a strategic position in President ‘s cabinet.

Interestingly, the governor has continued to resist attempts to draw him into unnecessary political disputes.

A recent example was the controversy surrounding claims that he verbally attacked the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike duringa recentendorsementrallyforPresidentTinubu. The Ebonyi State Government swiftly dismissed the reports, accusing elements of the opposition, particularly the PDP, of deliberately twisting the governor’s remarks in an effort to create friction between the two leaders.

The response reinforced Nwifuru’s broader political style—avoiding public confrontations that could distract him from governance or create avoidable divisions within the ruling party.

Rather than escalating tensions elsewhere, Nwifuru has largely responded with silence and composure. He has neither publicly criticised his predecessor nor allowed perceived disagreements to dominate public discourse.

That restraint appears calculated. An open confrontation could fracture the APC, weaken governance and hand political opportunities to the opposition.

Instead, the governor has quietly strengthened his own political foundation. Through appointments, stakeholder engagement, consultations and the execution of projects, he has continued to expand his influence across Ebonyi’s thirteen local government areas.

Today, much of the state’s political establishment appears aligned with the governor. Members of the State Executive Council, the State House of Assembly, local government chairmen, traditional rulers, women and youth groups, and many grassroots party leaders have publicly identified with his administration. While political loyalties can evolve, incumbency remains one of the strongest advantages in Nigerian politics.

Perhaps Nwifuru’s greatest political strength is that he has largely avoided creating unnecessary enemies. In a political environment where confrontation often defines leadership, he has preferred accommodation to conflict. That has enabled him to consolidate authority steadily while maintaining an image of stability and maturity.

However, the road to 2027 may become more complicated.

As political calculations intensify, ambitions will grow, alliances may shift and competing interests within the APC could become increasingly difficult to reconcile. The governor’s greatest challenge may not be defeating the opposition but sustaining unity within a party that contains multiple centres of influence.

His relationship with Umahi will therefore remain central to Ebonyi’s political future. If both leaders continue to manage their differences privately, the APC could approach the election as a united force. If those differences become more pronounced, internal divisions—not the opposition—could emerge as the governor’s greatest political obstacle.

Beyond political calculations, governance will remain Nwifuru’s strongest campaign asset. Infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment, security and job creation will ultimately shape public perception more than political manoeuvring. A convincing record of performance would strengthen his case for continuity and make it more difficult for opponents to gain traction.

His close relationship with President Tinubu’s administration is another advantage. Should the Federal Government continue maintaining political momentum, Nwifuru could benefit from the goodwill generated by that partnership, particularly in a state where the APC remains the dominant political force.

Still, politics rarely rewards complacency. Economic pressures, changing voter expectations, unforeseen political realignments and disagreements within the ruling party could alter today’s political calculations before 2027.

As matters stand, Governor Francis Nwifuru appears to occupy a strong position ahead of the next governorship election. He enjoys the advantages of incumbency, broad institutional support, a relatively peaceful political environment and a reputation for measured leadership.

Yet one question continues to hover over Ebonyi politics: can the governor and his influential predecessor continue to manage an increasingly delicate relationship without allowing a quiet rivalry to become an open political confrontation?

The answer may ultimately determine not only Nwifuru’s re-election prospects but also the unity of the APC in Ebonyi and the party’s ability to deliver another commanding victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the state.

For now, the battle is not being fought through fiery speeches or public attacks. It is being waged through influence, negotiations, strategic endorsements and the gradual consolidation of political structures. And in politics, the quietest contests often produce the most significant outcomes.