Politics

2027: ADC Won’t Handover Structures To Atiku, Obi, Amaechi, Others – Lukman

Published

4 months ago

July 8, 2025

One of the foremost promoters of the anti-Tinubu coalition in the African Democratic Congress ADC, Salihu Moh. Lukman has declared that the party will not hand over its structures to any of its leading lights who might be seeking the party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

While a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared his interest in flying the party’s flags, former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party LP Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi are speculated to also have an interest in securing the ticket.

Lukman who was a guest on Jigsaw, a programme on the African Independent Television AIT monitored Tuesday in Abuja, said the plan is to build the structures of the ADC in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win elections and assume positions.

He said the coalition did not go into the ADC arrangement with its eyes closed or desperate to have a political party. “We took our time. We did not negotiate with just one individual, we negotiated with the whole leadership”.

“What we are telling everybody in the coalition is that the structures of the party will not be handed over to aspiring candidates.

“We have to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions”, he stated.

On how the coalition scaled all the legal hurdles before unveiling ADC as its political platform, Lukman said; “I can tell you that we opened negotiations with a wide range of parties and we went through processes including conducting legal due diligence on the status of both the leadership and if there were any pending litigations. In the process, we were also able to check with INEC and get all the substantive issues.

“I can tell you, some of the issues being raised in the public about some of the litigations, there are issues which, even by INEC records, if you go there, you will find out that they have been resolved long ago.

“At a point, we even had to sit down with all the members, in fact more than once, all the members of the National Working Committee of ADC”.

The former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC also disclosed that the ADC 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu was no longer a member of the party.

He said; “I want to make it very clear and if you check with INEC, you will find out that even the Dumebi Kachikwu, who came out to make noise, by the records of INEC, based on the Certified True Copies of proceedings of organs, legitimate organs of the ADC, Dumebi Kachikwu and some others, I think about 15 of them, had been expelled from the party. I can’t remember exactly when. So, we didn’t go into this blindly.

“We were very clear that we were on very safe ground, and proceeding further, we are not supplanting the leadership of ADC. We have accepted to work with them as partners, they are stakeholders and I am sure in not too distant time from now, the interim leadership of the party led by Senator David Mark and Aregbesola will release possible guidelines to guide the position at the state level and how the whole reorganization of the structures of the party will proceed.

“So, I want to make it very clear, we are not approaching this activity based on the conventional process of just going to hijack a structure and begin to organize it in such a way we produce candidates and this led me to the critical point and I think we have to continue to talk to ourselves as members of the coalition we came this far largely because we have appealed to all our leaders to please suspend expression of their ambitions until we are able to build structures.

“We have succeeded so far, which is why we are able to have the unity you have seen and I think that suspension of expression of ambitions has to continue. I can see some leaders have already become hyper-reactive.

“The coalition and 2027 are not all about producing candidates who will end up producing another disappointment, which is basically about producing unaccountable leaders and if care is not taken, also producing another set of emperors as elected representatives who will not listen to the party just the same way we have a situation where leaders of APC today don’t do not even respect the party”, he said.

Lukman also revealed that there is no difference between the All Democratic Alliance ADA and ADC, adding that both the ADC and ADA were decisions of the coalition.

“A special committee was set up by the coalition and it was based on the determination that we are not going to leave anything unturned to ensure that by 2027, we present an option to Nigerians. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state.

“So we spread our tentacles and ensured that we went ahead and mandate the committee to put up the application.

“All we can say is that whatever happens, Nigerians will have an option. Our right as Nigerians as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria to participate in elections will be exercised beyond the confines of the APC. We are not going to allow a situation where the country is set up for a one-party state”, he said.

Politics

FULL LIST: Borno Tops In Voter Online Pre-registrations

Published

3 days ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Borno State has recorded the highest number of voter online pre-registrations nationwide as of Week Nine, according to newly released data from the Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday.

Out of a total of 8,003,196 Nigerians who completed the pre-registration process, Borno accounted for 826,130 entries, the highest figure recorded across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Osun State follows with 646,580 pre-registrations, while Lagos is next with 604,819. Kebbi registered 581,135, slightly ahead of Kaduna, which recorded 510,490. Ogun is close behind with 510,062, and Kano comes next with 421,941. Kogi also posted high numbers, registering 361,233, while Zamfara and Yobe followed with 304,065 and 292,714, respectively.

Jigawa added 284,384 pre-registrations, with the FCT recording 228,264. Oyo followed closely with 224,713. Katsina registered 205,933, while Sokoto and Nasarawa posted 209,392 and 183,519, respectively.

Politics

Tenebe Fingers Edo APC Chieftains As Plot To Replace Him As Chair Thickens

Published

3 days ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Plot to replace Jarrett Tenebe as State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State is gathering momentum going by series of social media posts shared by Tenebe, as monitored by our correspondent.

It was gathered that Senator representing Edo North at the red chamber, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Regional Development, Hon. Abubarkar Momoh, are not keen to support Tenebe’s re-election as Edo APC Chairman.

Tenebe’s absence at last week’s empowerment programme of Senator Oshiomhole gave credence to the cold war in Edo North APC.

However, as the plot to remove Tenebe gathered moment, the Edo APC chair, it was gathered, is fighting back following suspension of Etsako East Ward 9 Chairman of the party, Mallam Adamu Ototobor, who is a loyalist to those opposing Tenebe’s return as APC Chairman.

The cold war amongst the Edo APC bigwigs became evident when Tenebe, in series of social media posts, made allusion to the plot to replace him as Edo APC Chairman by accusing Momoh of scheming to take control of the Edo APC by working with a ‘dangerous click’.

Tenebe had said in one of his posts: “Minister of Regional Development, Hon Abubakar Momoh, I have led the party to the best of my ability, I can as well leave the party to you and your dangerous click, there is already a place in history for people like me.” (Sic)

The APC chairman further posted: “I supported you during your House of Representatives election when you were rigged out by this new click.

“If that was a crime, just know that there is a place for people like me and I know that was why I helped you.

“I encouraged people from other political parties who lost their ways to swell our fold in APC. If that’s my crime, Abubakar Momoh, I will leave the party for you and your new click, just know I am fulfilled.

“In this party, I have lent a voice to those who cannot speak; I have fought for the oppressed, possibly the reason why Momoh and his ‘usl…’ click wants me out.

“During the last local government council organised by Governor Godwin Obaseki, I traveled with my team on canoe, which could have capsized but this time, Abubakar Momoh was moving from one air condition office to his air conditioned home with his family.
“Today all is set, Jarrett is no longer capable, him and his ‘usel…’, wicked click wants me out. I will leave so that peace will reign.”

Momoh, in his reaction, said Tenebe should be allowed to exhaust himself, adding that he would not join issues with the Edo APC chairman.

Politics

Okpebholo’s Eight-year Tenure Non-negotiable, Says Commissioner

Published

3 days ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Edo State Commissioner for Youth, Honourable Charity Amayanvbo, has said that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s eight-year leadership mandate is non-negotiable, describing his administration as one that has rekindled hope and unity among Edo people.

Amayanvbo made the statement in Benin City during a courtesy visit by Comrade Kelly Okungbowa, popularly known as Ebo Stone, founder of the Youth for Youth movement.

According to the Commissioner, both the Binis and Edo youths are solidly behind Okpebholo, whose leadership style, he said, has restored dignity to traditional institutions and reaffirmed respect for the revered Oba of Benin Kingdom.

“Governor Monday Okpebholo has restored the confidence of the people in government. He has brought back dignity to our traditional institutions and rekindled the hope of Edo youths. His eight years in office are non-negotiable,” Amayanvbo asserted.

The Youth commissioner commended the governor for what he described as “unprecedented infrastructural strides, especially in Edo South, citing major projects such as the Ramat Park Flyover, the Second Flyover at Adesuwa Road, and the ongoing statewide road rehabilitation as clear evidence of visionary leadership.”

He also lauded the governor for restoring the authority of the Benin Traditional Council and for his bold call to the Edo State House of Assembly to investigate the Mosium for West Africa (MOWA) projects — a move Amayanvbo described as “transparent and accountable governance in action.”

Comparing Okpebholo’s performance with that of his predecessor, former Governor Godwin Obaseki, Amayanvbo remarked that Okpebholo had “done what a Benin man could not achieve.”

He urged Edo youths to rally around the governor, pledging continued support for his developmental vision aimed at building a greater Edo State.

In his response, Comrade Kelly Okungbowa (Ebo Stone) hailed Hon. Amayanvbo for his fatherly leadership and reaffirmed his movement’s loyalty to the Governor.

He pledged to mobilize Edo youths to deliver a 2.5 million-vote bloc in support of both Governor Okpebholo and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assuring that the Youth for Youth movement would stand firmly behind the Governor’s “non-negotiable mandate.”