Category: Politics

The Social Democratic Party in South-West, on Saturday, dissociated itself from the recent coalition of opposition parties.

This was made known by the Chairman of Chairmen of the party in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Femi Olaniyi, popularly known as Ferrari, at the South-West Stakeholders’ meeting, held at the party’s secretariat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He explained that instead, the party is focusing on developing a strategy to dislodge the All Progressives Congress at all levels of governance in the 2027 general elections.

PUNCH Online reports that a coalition of opposition parties adopting the African Democratic Congress as its platform for the 2027 general elections.

This decision was reached at a meeting attended by prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party’s 2023 Presidential candidate Peter Obi; former Senate President, David Mark; former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai among others.

However, Olaniyi emphasized that the SDP in the region would not be part of any coalition at the moment.

The chairman stated that no decision could be made on the matter without directives from the National Working Committee, and the party is still waiting for the NWC’s stance on the coalition.

Olaniyi, who also doubles as Lagos State Chairman of the party, assured party members that the NWC will guide and assist each state with membership cards, registers, and other necessary materials at the appropriate time.

He also emphasized the unity among leaders and stakeholders in the region, promising to rescue Nigeria from the current administration and bring a formidable government in 2027.

“We discussed about the challenges, progress and the coalition at our meeting. We have seen how everything is being played out in our party. So, we need to brief our members, especially our stakeholders in the region.

“In the six states of Ondo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Oyo, respectively. We have been asking a series of questions regarding this so-called coalition, and we just called our people to intimate our resolve not to be part of any coalition at the moment.

“We make them to understand that no part of SDP in the region that joins the coalition.

“Nobody can take any decision on this coalition except the directive from our NWC. So, we are still waiting for our NWC to come up with its own stand and everything regarding this coalition. As it stands now, there is nothing like a coalition in SDP,” he insisted.

The chairman allayed the fear of party members on the various challenges confronting them in their respective states, saying, “The NWC has promised to guide us and assist each state with membership cards, register and every other thing at the appropriate time.”

Olaniyi maintained that there is unity among the leaders and all the stakeholders in the region as they always speak with one voice for the progress of the party.

“In 2027, we will rescue Nigeria from the current administration, bring a formidable government and show all Nigerians a true and real democracy,” he added.

Also speaking, a current serving lawmaker representing Ise-Orun Constituency in the Ekiti State House of Assembly under the SDP, Babatunde Omotayo, also corroborated the party chairman, saying “We are here to resolve some issues. We resolved issues and dialogued for the development of our party- SDP.

“The most important among what we discussed was how we can remain one and speak with one voice to move the party forward in the region. So, SDP as a political party doesn’t have plan to join the so called coalition,” he maintained.

Dignitaries at the meeting were Chairman of Chairmen, also the convener, and Lagos State Chairman, Femi Olaniyi (Ferrari); the host Chairman (Oyo), Okunlade Michael; (Ondo), Gbenga Akinbuli; (Ogun), Yinka Ola-Williams; (Osun), Yinus Gbadamosi; (Ekiti), Ayodele Bamikole; the Deputy National Woman Leader of SDP, Bosede Mercy Ilesanmi; a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Babatunde Omotayo and a host of others

A Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Mrs Funmi Ogun, has expressed confidence that new developments in the party will compel those who have left to return.

Ogun, a former Works Commissioner in the state, said that all hands were on deck to reposition the party for victory in the 2026 governorship election.

She stated that resolution of the internal wrangling in the PDP at the national level would positively impact the party in the state.

The former PDP State Secretary spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Saturday during a chat with journalists after a meeting with supporters across the three senatorial districts at her campaign office.

The governorship hopeful, who said that Ekiti PDP had the support and ability to wrestle power from the governing All Progressives Congress, expressed confidence that she would clinch the party ticket and win the election.

She said, “PDP members joining other parties will soon return. Our National Working Committee members are united and all working together now.

“So, I think they are channeling the path towards resolving the issues and that will also affect us in Ekiti State because of the lingering problems that affected the conclusion of the congresses and things like that.

“But now that the issues have been resolved, they are working towards the national convention.

“So very soon, I believe the congresses in Ekiti State will be concluded and that has nothing to do with the timetable for primaries released by INEC.

“I want to assure our people that the PDP will soon bounce back in Ekiti. PDP is not dead in Ekiti, the party is alive and I am happy that today, we still have dedicated members. “These people here are the ones working in their wards, they are the grassroots people.

“I am going forward and I’m going to push it to the end. I will win that ticket and I will win the election come 2026. I have been on my mission of consultation, reconciliation and mobilisation for the past two years. I remain focused that PDP will win Ekiti State. I am hopeful of clinching PDP governorship ticket and by this time in 2026, I will be the governor in the Government House.”

She dismissed insinuation in some quarters that the coalition platform, African Democratic Coalition, is a threat to the PDP in the June 20 Ekiti governorship election.

Ogun said, “There’s no new party or coalition that can come and make any meaningful move. We have just a few months to primaries and we are a few months into the election, then you see people coming with a new party to the state, it won’t work, I’m not really bothered about that.”

Cuba had scrapped the maximum age limit of 60 for its presidential candidates as part of a constitutional reform approved on Friday by parliament.

The communist-ruled island’s restriction of two five-year presidential terms and minimum age of 35 for candidates were left unchanged.

The measure, approved by the Council of State, imposes no age limits on people “in the full exercise of their physical and mental faculties, with… loyalty and revolutionary trajectory,” national assembly president Esteban Lazo said.

Former president Raul Castro, who at age 94 still holds a seat in the assembly, was the first to vote for the reform that will be on the books for the 2028 presidential elections.

Cuba’s current president, 65-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, was elected in 2018 and then re-elected in 2023. No favoured successor has been publicly designated.

The inclusion of term and age limits in the 2019 constitution marked a radical shift after six decades in which Fidel Castro and his brother Raul were in power.

In 2016, Fidel had to hand over the reins to his brother due to health problems. He died later that year, after nearly half a century leading Cuba.

Raúl Castro officially became president in 2008, at the age of 76. In 2021, he retired as Communist Party first secretary, handing over power to Diaz-Canel.

The nation of nearly 10 million people is suffering its worst economic crisis in three decades, with shortages of all kinds of supplies, power outages, and unprecedented emigration.

AFP

President Bola Tinubu on Friday received Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The meeting, which took place behind closed doors, underscores ongoing consultations between the President and state governors across the country.

Eno, who is the All Progressives Congress leader in Akwa Ibom State, was accompanied Akpabio, a former governor of the state and two other politicians from the state to the meeting.

Details of the discussion were not immediately disclosed as of the time of filing this report, but the visit is believed to center on strengthening collaboration between the Federal Government and Akwa Ibom State, as well as addressing issues of national interest.

The trio posed for photographs after the meeting, reflecting a cordial atmosphere and mutual commitment to advancing governance and development initiatives.

See the photos below.

Aare Adetola Emmanuelking Mourns Former President Muhammadu Buhari, Pays Tribute to a National Icon

In a heartfelt condolence message, Sir Aare Adetola Emmanuelking KOF, the Group Chairman of Adron Group, has joined the rest of the nation in mourning the death of former President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, describing his passing as the departure of a patriot, a soldier, and a statesman whose legacy will remain indelible in Nigeria’s history.

In the statement released to the press, Aare Adetola Emmanuelking expressed his deep sorrow over the death of the former Head of State and President, calling it a moment of “national grief and solemn reflection.”

“His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, was more than a leader, he was a symbol of discipline, duty, and commitment to national integrity. His life, marked by sacrifice and stoic patriotism, leaves behind a legacy that will resonate far beyond his years.”

The business leader and philanthropist praised the late Buhari’s journey from the military trenches to the highest civilian office in the land, noting the rare courage and conviction with which he navigated leadership in both roles.

“From the battlefields as a gallant general to the seat of power as a democratically elected President, he served with honour. He was austere, yet compassionate; firm, yet loyal to the unity of Nigeria,” Aare Adetola Emmanuelking remarked.

He extended his deepest sympathies to the family. “You have not only lost a patriarch, but the nation has lost a father figure, a sentinel of moral strength, and a resolute defender of the Nigerian dream”, he stated.

He urged Nigerians not to mourn as those without hope, but to reflect on and uphold the values of discipline, resilience, and unity, which were embodied by the former President.

“Though his voice may now be silent, the echoes of his convictions for a greater Nigeria will continue to inspire generations to come,” he concluded.

The former President, who served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and later as a two-term civilian President from 2015 to 2023, passed away leaving behind a storied legacy of service to the nation.

Sir Aare Adetola Emmanuelking’s tribute joins a chorus of voices across the nation and the world, honouring a man whose life was an attestation of loyalty, sacrifice, and enduring national purpose.

The Coalition of Political Parties in Lagos State on Thursday applauded the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission for ”conducting a free, fair, and credible local council election” in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that LASIEC on Saturday conducted council election into the 20 Local Governments, 37 Local Council Development Areas, and 376 councillorship seats in the states.

The ruling APC won all 57 chairmanship seats and secured 375 out of the 376 councillorship positions, according the state electoral commission.

Some opposition parties have rejected the results of the election, saying the election was deeply flawed and so, not credible.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday in Ikeja, the Spokesman for the Coalition and Lagos State Chairman of defunct Alliance for Democracy, Chief Kola Ajayi, however, commended LASIEC’s Chairman, Retired Justice Bola Okikiola-Ighile and her team “for living up to expectations.”

Ajayi commended the umpire’s professionalism and commitment to what he called electoral integrity in the face of notable challenges.

“We equally appreciate the security agencies for their neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral process, which contributed significantly to the peaceful conduct of the elections.

“To all the successful candidates across the state, we extend our heartfelt congratulations.

“We urge you to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship and be magnanimous in victory, recognising that true leadership is measured by service and inclusivity,” he said.

Ajayi, however, expressed the coalition’s concern over recurrent voter apathy in the elections, which he said, was not good for democracy.

He said that democracy should be inclusive and participatory for best outcomes.

Ajayi added, “The coalition, comprising both registered and de-registered political parties, civil society organisations, and ethnic-based groups—also notes with concern the persistent issue of voters apathy.

“In view of this, we advocate the formation of a tripartite engagement mechanism involving the State Government, LASIEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, National Orientation Agency, Civil Societies and other relevant stakeholders.

“This is to strategise on voters education, awareness, and participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We must collectively take urgent steps to reawaken the public interest in the electoral process and remind our citizens that voting is not just a right—it is a civic responsibility and a powerful tool for change.”

Ajayi reaffirmed the group’s commitment to deepening democracy and strengthening democratic institutions in the state and Nigeria at large.

(NAN)