Politics
Govs, APC leaders quietly supporting coalition — ex-SGF
ABUJA — The National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has cautioned critics of the Bola Tinubu administration against underestimating the President’s leadership and commitment to transforming Nigeria, insisting that such critics belong to the past era with outdated ideas and failed records. “We have quality leadership today in our country. Mr. President is a digital President.
People who underestimate him are doing so at their own peril,” Ribadu warned.
Ribadu spoke on a day the African Democratic Congress, ADC, accused the Presidency of fabricating claims of an alleged plot to overthrow President Tinubu’s administration, alleging that it was a deliberate strategy to justify the repression of opposition leaders.
This is as former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, yesterday, claimed that some governors and senior figures within the All Progressives Congress, APC, are quietly backing the opposition coalition.
Also, the lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Ireti Kingibe said though she remains a member of the Labour Party, she had aligned with the opposition coalition on the platform of African Democratic Congress, ADC.
However, the lawmaker representing Benue South Senatorial District, Senator Abba Moro, said he remains a committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and has no intention of joining any coalition.
Similarly, leaders of the PDP in Ondo State yesterday disowned the former governorship candidates and members of the party who defected to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Also as a move to assert itself as a strong opposition, the PDP has dismissed claims of its declining relevance, saying it is consolidating internally and positioning itself for a strong comeback in the 2027 general elections.
Nigeria safer, better, says Ribadu
Speaking at the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 held in Abuja yesterday, Ribadu declared that Nigeria is now safer, more stable, and increasingly attractive for investment, due to the reforms and strategic policies introduced under President Tinubu.
Ribadu dismissed ongoing criticisms from certain quarters as the rantings of “expired” political figures who felt entitled to perpetual relevance, warning that Nigerians are now more discerning and will not be swayed by propaganda.
“Niger Delta is safer than ever before. The South-East is returning to normalcy. Those fueling unrest from abroad will be tracked and prosecuted. We will not allow external forces to destabilize our progress,” he said.
The NSA lauded President Tinubu’s capacity and leadership, describing him as a “digital, enlightened and visionary leader” whose administration is charting a clear path for economic recovery and national rebirth.
“We have quality leadership today in our country. Mr. President is a digital President. He is educated and deeply informed. People who underestimate him are doing so at their own peril,” Ribadu warned.
He took a swipe at opposition figures and media commentators who, he said, remain fixated on past politics and have contributed little to nation-building.
“These are people who looted and plundered this country. Now they are shouting on television. They are outdated. Nigeria has moved on — and Nigerians are wiser,” Ribadu remarked.
He called on telecommunication companies, tech innovators, and international investors to embrace the Nigerian market, saying the country is now positioned as Africa’s digital and economic hub.
Ribadu said: “We are working with major telecom operators. Our cybersecurity strategy is strong. Nigeria is safe and open for business. Investors should know that Nigeria is the future of Africa.’’
The NSA emphasized the need for unity and trust in the current leadership, urging citizens to focus on the nation’s collective progress, rather than being distracted by “expired” voices of the past.
Presidency crying wolf over overthrow plot — ADC
In a statement yesterday, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC and spokesperson for the Opposition Coalition, warned that such unsubstantiated claims signalled a broader campaign of intimidation and repression by the Tinubu administration.
The statement came just one week after the formal unveiling of the national opposition coalition in Abuja.
Onanuga’s tweet, which sparked the controversy, read: “Just two years after Tinubu began implementing the reforms, the haters of Nigeria’s progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history.”
Condemning the tweet, ADC stated: “Bayo Onanuga’s tweet is a textbook example of a political dog whistle.
‘’The APC-led federal government appears to be constructing a false narrative that is designed to justify potential clampdown on dissent, and to criminalise legitimate opposition activity under the guise of national security.”
The party emphasised its commitment to democratic processes, rejecting any notion of truncating democracy.
“We are not soldiers, we are politicians. We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots. When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice,” the ADC declared.
The party expressed bewilderment at the ruling party’s alleged intolerance of opposition, noting that the APC itself emerged as the first opposition party to take power in Nigeria.
“We are left to wonder why the APC government is so jittery that it is so eager to betray its own heritage. APC is the first opposition party to come to power in Nigeria. It is, therefore, a great wonder that the same party now appears to find it strange that there is an opposition at all,” Abdullahi stated.
The party called on President Tinubu to caution his aides against making baseless allegations that could heighten political tensions ahead of the 2027 elections.
“This manner of crying wolf where there is none does not make the president look good and only betrays a sense of panic,” the ADC warned.
It also urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject what it described as underhand tactics to de-legitimise the opposition and silence alternative voices, saying “the health of our democracy depends on a free, open and competitive political environment.’’
ADC called on the international community, democratic governments, international observers, and human rights organisations to closely monitor Nigeria’s political environment.
“We call on them to hold the Tinubu administration accountable for any actions that undermine democratic freedoms or violate the political rights of Nigerian citizens,” the party noted.
The ADC reiterated its commitment to building a better Nigeria through peaceful and democratic means, emphasising its dedication to ‘’peace, participation, and the power of the people.’’
Govs, APC leaders quietly supporting coalition — ex-SGF
Lawal, who officially resigned from the ruling APC on June 29, stated that he had long worked against the party even as a member, insisting that the party had never been united and had a culture of intimidation and suppression of dissenting voices.
“We’re in a democracy; even if you’re in a political party, you can choose to support a better candidate in another political party. I’m learning a template from APC: this template of remaining in one party and working for another.
This is a script APC developed, which Wike has enhanced and grown beyond imagination. Wike is our leader in this type of politics.
“The APC has never been united; it’s been a party that has been intimidated and bullied into silence. No internal cohesion; you cannot even advise. Even advice is taken as anti-party. So, many people got frustrated that you cannot talk truth to power in APC,’’ the former SGF said.
He argued further that President Tinubu’s leadership had disappointed some of his former allies, prompting them to seek alternatives.
“A lot of us are people whose primary aim is to replace this government with a better government that serves Nigerians better. If you want to serve this country better, you need to do so from the angle of politics, policies, governance, and leadership.
“You need to replace the non-performing party. So, there’s nothing wrong if people who were hitherto in APC, allies of Tinubu, have been disappointed in the way he has chosen to run his government or allow others to run his government. There’s nothing wrong if we decide to come together to make a change,” he added.
While he mocked the recent trend of defections into the APC, the former SGF said many governors were only joining to secure their political future, not out of popular support.
He said: “It’s true the governors are decamping. Why are they decamping to the APC? Because they know the president has given himself an automatic ticket, there will be no primaries, and no other candidate will be allowed to raise his head.
“Most of the governors understand that this government is a government that wrote results to become what they are. So, they can write you out, even in your own convention in an opposition party.
“So, all these governors are moving to APC to secure their next elections. However, the governors are moving, but nobody is moving with them; the people are not.”
Dismissing notions that the coalition is a project headed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Lawal said: “The coalition is not about Atiku. I’ve attended meetings tilted towards Obi, Atiku, and Amaechi. Atiku has never spoken in all our meetings, except the last meeting, where he was asked to speak.
“Before we started the coalition, we told everybody that has political ambition to lock it down in a cupboard. because the understanding is that no one person can defeat an incumbent government.
“Peter Obi understands that with his Obedient movement, he cannot win this election on a stand-alone basis. Amaechi understands, and Atiku too; we must have a coalition, get together, join forces, join ideas, and work to defeat this government.”
LP can’t win election; we’ll contest on ADC tickets — Kingibe
Reflecting on the coalition, Senator Ireti Kingibe said although she remains a member of the Labour Party, she has aligned with the opposition coalition on the platform of the African Democratic Party, ADC.
The lawmaker, who spoke on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm programme, said: “Yes, I am (still a member of the Labour Party) but I support the ADC.”
Kingibe, who was elected on Labour Party platform in 2023, warned that the party (LP) will bungle the chances of the opposition in the forthcoming FCT election, hence the choice of ADC.
She said: “Labour Party is in some sort of a quagmire. We are trying to put it together, but I do not see the Labour Party in the present way it is as a vehicle that can win any election. It has been very fractured and broken.
“We have local government elections coming. So, we needed a platform. The Labour Party would have been that platform, but it was broken. There are two factions of the Labour Party right now.
“I know the FCT can win, not on APC (All Progressives Congress). So, ADC has credible candidates, and it is that platform we are going to use to show them.”
On whether she might dump the Labour Party if the leadership crisis within the party persists, the 71-year-old lawmaker said: “Maybe, I might eventually.”
I won’t join any coalition — Senator Moro
On his part, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, insisted that he remains a committed member of the PDP and had no intention of joining any coalition.
In a video posted on his official Facebook page late Tuesday, Moro said he is a founding member of the PDP, had held different elective positions while in the party and has no intention of leaving.
“I want to make it very, very clear here, I joined the People’s Democratic Party in 1998 at its formative year, and so I think I am qualified to see myself as a founding member of the PDP. I was one of the first set of persons elected on the platform of that party.
“Precisely on December 8, 1998, local government elections were conducted across the country. I contested to be chairman of my local government, Okpokwu local government council in Benue State, and I won.
“I was eventually sworn in on May 29, 1999, as the executive chairman of Okpokwu local government and at various times, I became the chairman of the local government, either as caretaker chairman or as an elected chairman. And I was the ALGON chairman of Benue State within this period. And that is how I have come along with the PDP.”
The senator said he has never abandoned the PDP and had no plans to do so.
“I have never defected to another party. I have never joined another party. And as I am talking to you now, I have never defected.
“I am a bona fide member of PDP. I am not joining any coalition. I have not joined any coalition. I don’t intend to join any coalition.”
Moro cautioned against forming political alliances out of frustration, saying Nigeria needed serious-minded leadership.
“Quite frankly, I think we should approach Nigeria with a serious mind of electing people who are prepared to govern this country. I think politics of gang-up is not a solution to our problems. And so I think that if we are heading in the wrong direction, we should be able to trace our steps and head in the right direction,” the senator said.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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