Politics
Delta 2023: Bribery Allegation Rocks Screening Exercise Of Guber Aspirants

Allegations of huge financial inducement have rocked DC-23, a lobby group in Delta Central Senatorial district canvassing for the governorship slot in Delta State to be zoned within the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
This allegation is coming a few days after the screening committee of the group released its final report in which it cleared three out of the five aspirants for the race.
The group had cleared former Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi; immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, David Edevbie; and current Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, and left out a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Emmanuel Aguariavwodo; and immediate past Commissioner for Works, James Augoye.
But the Delta Central Political Elders and Leaders of Thought (DCPELT) under the auspices of PDP faulted the screening saying that the lobby group left out credible alternatives and cleared questionable characters for the race.
In a leaked confidential letter, the party elders urged Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to reject and investigate the DC-23 report, insisting that the group bowed to huge cash inducement to arrive at its decision.
The letter was signed by Dr Adogbeji Ideh, Chief P.O. Akaighe and Chief Eddie Ono-Sorhue.
It reads: “We write to you under confidential cover as DELTA CENTRAL POLITICAL ELDERS AND LEADERS OF THOUGHT mutually desirous of a smooth transition that will usher in your successor of Urhobo extraction, in line with what is commonly referred to as the Zoning Formula of the Ruling PDP in Delta State.
READ ALSO: Delta 2023: Zoning Guber Seat On Senatorial Basis Will Trigger Trouble, Group Warns
“We firmly believe that it is quite expedient that such a person should possess remarkable integrity, reasonable competence, requisite experience and general acceptance of the electorate that can consolidate on your laudable achievements of the SMART Agenda and unite the State.
“We wish to therefore dissociate ourselves from the subject, which has expectedly generated needless controversy, capable of creating further disaffection within the Party due to the manipulative selection process eventually deployed by the Screening Committee of the lobby group DC-23, deliberately designed to exclude the ‘best of the lot’ and foist persons of questionable character on the Party in a political ambush to serve selfish interests.
“We have indeed received several reports of mouthwatering monetary inducements of the Screening Committee members by the beneficiaries of this charade and wish to crave your indulgence to carry out an independent investigation to substantiate the veracity of this weighty allegations, in order to properly guide your anticipated action on this issue.
“We are strongly canvassing for further assessment of intending governorship aspirants on the basis of competence, experience, loyalty and vision of purpose, using recognised organs of the Party, which we also believe that the Final List would not ordinarily exclude the likes of Sen. Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Chief James Augoye and Omizu Ejaife Odebala, going by their known antecedents, expressed intentions and ongoing consultation efforts.
“We are therefore soliciting your kind cooperation to disregard the outcome of the exercise conducted by the DC-23 lobby group in the true spirit of fairness by deploying available instruments of your office as the State Party Leader, towards ensuring the emergence of a flag bearer that meets the yearnings and aspirations of most political stakeholders in the current dispensation, all in a bid to guarantee victory for the Party at the general elections next year.
“We remain committed to your patriotic quest of finishing strong and bequeathing a lasting legacy to all Deltans.”
SUN
Politics
Tinubu, Six APC Governors Hold Closed-door Meeting At Aso Villa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday met with six governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.
The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.
In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.
The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.
Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.
The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Navy Officer Who Had Altercation With Wike Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt
President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.
This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.
These strategic meetings, frequently conducted in secrecy to ensure confidentiality and candid discussion, have aimed to undertake a comprehensive review of ongoing security operations nationwide.
Discussions have prioritised enhancing coordination and communication among military, police, and intelligence units to foster a more unified and cohesive response to security challenges.
In addition, the sessions have explored innovative and tactical measures that leverage intelligence gathering, rapid deployment, and community engagement to dismantle criminal networks and restore order.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs
Throughout these consultations, President Tinubu has underscored that safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians is paramount.
He has called on the security apparatus to move beyond reactive measures and adopt more preventive, intelligence-driven strategies that anticipate threats before they escalate.
The administration’s renewed approach signals a commitment to reinforcing national security architecture and improving the operational effectiveness of all agencies involved in the fight against crime and insurgency across Nigeria.
In other news, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has expressed optimism that the security challenges – terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crime – Nigeria has been facing for almost three decades now will be overcome.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut
The NSA described those behind the “painful and unnecessary” challenges as “evil” and vowed they would be defeated.
Ribadu made remarks during the opening of a one-day dialogue organised by the National Peace Committee, in partnership with the delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and the U.S., on “a whole-of-Society Approach to the Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria,” on Thursday in Abuja.
“This (security challenges) also shall pass. We are going through tough times. This will also go.
“But it’s very, very painful, what we are going through. It’s unnecessary.
They are very unfair to us, those who are responsible for this. They are evil.
“But they will be defeated. It’s a matter of time, and peace will be restored. That one we can assure you. Because there are people who are working, not necessarily making noise.
“There are people who are making sacrifices. Every single day, we go to bury our own deaths. Painful as it is. But most people don’t talk. Sacrifice is ongoing,” the NSA said.
Politics
JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held separate closed-door meetings with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru at the State House, Abuja.
The engagements came amid heightened political tension in Rivers State and renewed speculation over Governor Fubara’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Fubara arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before being escorted to the President’s office.
He departed at about 5:45 p.m., but details of the meeting remained undisclosed as of press time.
Shortly before his arrival, Governor Nwifuru had been ushered in for a separate audience with the President. The purpose of his visit was also not revealed.
READ ALSO:Police Arrest Suspect For Raping Woman To Death In Rivers
Nwifuru , a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and now an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor, has in recent months held several engagements with the Presidency, largely centred on infrastructure development and security coordination in the South-East.
Tinubu’s meeting with Fubara follows Friday’s defection of 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the PDP to the APC.
The mass defection has significantly altered power dynamics in the state legislature and heightened uncertainty about Fubara’s political trajectory.
lawmakers believed to be aligned with the governor remain in the PDP, and they have yet to resume their seats since the lifting of the state’s emergency rule on September 18.
READ ALSO:OPINION: Can Tinubu, Our Eddie Kwansa, Now Come Home?
The Guardian earlier reported that President Tinubu met with six APC governors in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.
The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.
In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.
The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.
Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.
READ ALSO:(VIDEO) Obasanjo To Tinubu: Why Are We Negotiating With Bandits?
The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.
President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.
This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.
Politics
Ambassadorial Nominees: Ndume Asks Tinubu To Withdraw List

Ahead of the Senate’s screening and confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees sent to the Red Chamber by the Presidency, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list from parliament.
The federal lawmaker declared that the composition of nominees was in clear breach of the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.
Checks revealed that while certain states have three and four nominees, states like Gombe have no representation, while the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, died last July.
The entire North East state has 7 nominees in the list.
Further checks revealed that the South West geopolitical zone has 15 nominees, while the North West and South East have 13 and 9, respectively.
READ ALSO:Full List: FG Releases Names Of 68 ambassadorial Nominees Sent To Senate For Confirmation
North Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees, while South South region has 12 nominees.
The Senate President at plenary on Thursday formally read the list of nominees and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.
The Senator representing Borno South in a statement issued on Saturday maintained that the list of nominees was in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution which mandates that the composition and conduct of the federal government must reflect the “federal character of Nigeria” to ensure national unity and loyalty.
The section reads: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut
The former Chief Whip of the Senate admonished President Tinubu to avoid taking decision that will fuel ethnic tension and promote distrust in the country, amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration.
He said: “My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country.
“He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on Federal Character Principle that government’s structure and operations must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria.”
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