…Atiku Alleges INEC Undermining Democracy

…Aregbesola Criticises ‘Renewed Hope’ Agenda

…Peter Obi Warns Nigeria ‘Heading to Disaster’

…Insecurity Forcing People To Flee Communities Like Civil War — Amaechi

The African Democratic Congress concluded its national convention on Tuesday in Abuja, with delegates overwhelmingly voting to amend the party’s constitution.

At the end of voting, the Chairman of the ADC Electoral Sub-Committee and former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, announced the result.

He said a total of 1,576 delegates were accredited, while 11 votes were voided. A total of 1,471 delegates voted “yes” to amend the constitution, representing 94 per cent.

“Distinguished delegates, by virtue of this result announced, it means that the constitution of the African Democratic Congress has today been duly amended by this convention that took place at the Rainbow Event Centre, Abuja,” he said.

Earlier, before voting commenced, the Chairman of the Legal and Convention Processes Committee, Olumide Apata, led the ratification of resolutions on key issues concerning the party at the 97th, 98th and 99th NEC meetings.

Chinedu Idigo, the National Organising Secretary, outlined the resolutions passed, including a waiver of membership requirements, the suspension of zoning provisions for executive positions, and the suspension of the rule requiring that a vacant office be filled by someone from the same zone as the previous occupant.

The 99th NEC meeting of the ADC dissolved the Chief Ralph Nwosu-led National Working Committee (NWC) with immediate effect, while the David Mark-led NWC assumed full responsibility for running the affairs of the party. The resolution was ratified by the convention.

In his closing remarks, National Chairman David Mark said he had, as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), attended several national conventions, none of which he said matched the organisation of Tuesday’s ADC convention.

He described the convention as an “excellent performance” and said it marked the beginning of the party’s journey to Aso Rock in 2027.

“Today marks the beginning of our journey to the Villa, and all of you here are part of this history. By next year, when we move to the Villa, I will remind you again,” Mark said.

Nafiu Bala, Abejide Expelled

At the convention, the party announced the expulsion of factional chairman, Nafiu Bala, and the member representing Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide.

It also confirmed the expulsion of other members, including factional leader Kingsley Temitope, Noman Obinna, Kennedy Odion, Stella Chukwuma, and four others.

The party said the affected individuals were removed over alleged anti-party activities and attempts to create confusion and instability within its ranks.

The motion for their expulsion was moved by Senator Binos Yaroe of Adamawa South Senatorial District and seconded by Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, who represents the Kebbi/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Atiku Alleges INEC Undermining Democracy


Earlier at the convention, former Vice President and ADC chieftain, Atiku Abubakar, alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is being used to undermine democracy in Nigeria.

He singled out the Chairman of the electoral body, Professor Joash Amupitan, for criticism over alleged “illegalities.”

“I will not end these remarks without indicting the chairman of INEC and INEC itself because it is clear, it is obvious, the evidence is there INEC is being used to scuttle democracy in this country. Now, let the Federal Government know that we fought the military to bring democracy in this country and we are going to fight them to bring democracy in this country.

“Let the chairman know we are not going to let him get away with his illegalities, we will not and I hope we will have your support and cooperation to make sure we return to true democracy, to true development in all aspects of human endeavour,” Atiku said.


Obi Warns Nigeria ‘Heading to Disaster’

Also speaking, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over Nigeria’s rising debt profile, warning that the country is “heading to disaster.”

According to him, the removal of petrol subsidy by the previous administration was intended to reduce borrowing and redirect funds towards development. However, he said the current government has continued to increase borrowing.

“When this government came into being, they removed subsidy on petroleum. The reason was to stop borrowing to service it and use the resources to develop the country. But today, despite that removal, the government has continued borrowing.

“The previous administration left a debt of about ₦87 trillion. Today, we are close to ₦200 trillion. That means they have borrowed over 130 per cent more, despite removing subsidy. At the same time, contractors are being owed, and no projects in the 2025 budget have been funded. We have huge debt and have borrowed more on everything. We are heading to disaster,” he said.


Amaechi Raises Insecurity Concerns

In his remarks, former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, expressed concern over rising insecurity, describing the situation in parts of the country as reminiscent of a civil war.

“I watched yesterday in Nasarawa—people were running away from their community like a civil war. The civil war image came back to my head,” he said.

Reflecting on his time in office, Amaechi emphasised decisive leadership in tackling crime.

“When I was governor of Rivers State, you couldn’t commit a crime, and I would sleep. I wouldn’t sleep until you were arrested. All of us would stay awake until the person was caught,” he added.


Aregbesola Criticises ‘Renewed Hope’ Agenda


Former Minister of Interior and ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, described President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda as a scam, urging him to resign over worsening insecurity and economic hardship.

“Distinguished delegates and our rival leaders, four years ago, this government promised Nigerians renewed hope for a better future. Now, three years into its four-year term, it still holds promise and offers renewed hope. When exactly will this hope come into fruition? The answer is simple. It is a scam. The answer is what? A scam! If allowed, this regime will continue shouting renewed hope to eternity. We have the duty to stop scammers from retaining power,” he said.

Despite INEC’s decision not to monitor the ADC’s congresses and national convention over a court ruling, the party went ahead to conduct congresses in states and hold its national convention.

Party faithful and stalwarts gathered at the venue, where they eventually voted to amend the party’s constitution..

The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, on Tuesday, described claims of an impeachment plot against Governor Seyi Makinde as a “badly written script” aimed at distracting the public and attracting undue sympathy for the governor.

The party said Makinde was facing imminent political retirement due to what it described as his ego and naivety.

The APC, in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, in Ibadan, the state capital, also dismissed the alleged involvement of President Bola Tinubu and others mentioned in the claims, describing them as unsubstantiated.

He added, “Governor Makinde ought to have been impeached long ago if members of the State House of Assembly were alive to their responsibilities, given several alleged cases of abuse of office recorded against him since May 2019.”

Recall that some members of the State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, denied involvement in a purported impeachment plot, which they claimed was being sponsored by prominent personalities, including the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and the former wife of a past governor of the state, Florence Ajimobi.

It would be recalled that former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Tuesday, renewed his allegation that Makinde was plotting to remove the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Rashidi Ladoja, despite earlier denials by the state government and the palace.

Fayose, in a statement posted on his official X account, alleged, “Those who are still in doubt about Governor Seyi Makinde’s plot to remove the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, should keep their fingers crossed and follow unfolding events,” adding that recent accusations against the monarch were part of a broader plan to justify action against him.

He said, “They denied any rift between the Olubadan and Makinde after I made it public. But now, they are accusing the Olubadan of plotting to impeach Governor Makinde,” describing claims of partisanship against the monarch as “part of the orchestration to prepare the ground for the Olubadan to be queried.”

However, Sadare, in a statement, said, “Governor Makinde has decided to deploy some of his loyalists to execute a poorly written script aimed at securing a soft landing in the minds of some gullible supporters, especially those who have tied their political future to his, at a time when it is increasingly clear that he may not have a political platform to sponsor candidates in the 2027 general elections.

“Sadly, an informed source revealed that the impeachment narrative was designed to mitigate the impact of the allegations made by former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, concerning an alleged plan to dethrone the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Ladoja (Arusa I). However, the reality is that no external party is interested in pursuing the impeachment of a governor who has already reached a political dead end.

“Meanwhile, no amount of blackmail or propaganda can save Governor Makinde, as we believe his false alarm has exposed underlying issues that will eventually come to light.

“For the avoidance of doubt, allegations of misappropriation of funds from the 33 Local Government Councils, land-related irregularities, contract cost inflation, and the alleged diversion of the Federal Government’s N50bn relief fund meant for victims of the Bodija explosion, among others, constitute impeachable offences which will come to the fore sooner rather than later.”

Special adviser of President Bola Tinubu in Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has dismissed the African Democratic Congress, ADC, as a gathering of “desperate politicians” without a clear national agenda.

Onanuga spoke while reacting to ADC chieftain Rauf Aregbesola’s criticism of Tinubu’s government during the party’s National Convention in Abuja on Tuesday.

Recall that the National Secretary of the ADC, Aregbesola, described the APC-led administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda as a “classic scam”.

Reacting to this in a post shared on his X handle, Onanuga wrote “No, Rauf. The real scammers are the politicians inside the SPV called ADC.”

Onanuga accused Aregbesola of repeating opposition talking points and attempting to distort the government’s record.

He said “At the event, Aregbesola reportedly called on his former boss, mentor, and benefactor to resign, parroting the opposition’s warped narratives about the economy and orchestrated reports of terrorist attacks in some parts of the country.”

He also criticised Aregbesola for what he described as a refusal to reflect on his own time in public office.

“His eight years as governor of Osun State were characterised by unmitigated hardship for the people civil servants went unpaid for months, and pensioners suffered greatly.”

Speaking on Aregbesola tenure as Minister of Interior, Onanuga said, “During his four years, obtaining a Nigerian passport became a nightmarish process, and there were multiple jailbreaks, including the infamous Kuje prison escape.”

He argued that it was “ironic” for Aregbesola to now speak on insecurity, saying, “For someone who failed so woefully to secure our correctional centres. it is ironic that Aregbesola now seeks to lecture others on insecurity.”

Defending the current administration, Onanuga stated: “The Tinubu administration has never shied away from acknowledging that policy reforms have brought unintended consequences but we have introduced numerous relief measures, including cash transfers and support for small businesses.”

He further added that economic indicators were improving under the reforms. “We have seen increased GDP, stronger foreign reserves, and a bullish stock market reflecting growing investor confidence.”

“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a scam,” Onanuga insisted.