Politics
Edo Bye-Elections: Labour Party Missing As INEC Unveils Political Parties Participating

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said that only nine political parties are participating in the forthcoming Edo State Bye-Elections for Ovia Federal Constituency and Edo Central Senatorial District.
Briefing journalists in Benin on Wednesday of its activities ahead of the bye-elections in the state, Edo State Resident Electoral Commission of INEC, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, said though 14 political parties earlier showed interest and registered for the bye-elections, only nine political parties conducted primaries hence they are the parties the law allowed to participate in the bye-elections.
Recall the Ovia Federal Constituency seat and Edo Central Senatorial District seat were declared vacant after Senator Monday Okpehbolo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa emerged governor and deputy governor of Edo State respectively.
READ ALSO:Edo Govt Bans Kabaka’s Firm, Others From Collecting Revenue
The state REC listed the parties participating to include Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Prof. Onuoha said five others who indicated their interest to participate in the bye-elections didn’t conduct their primaries.
According to him, INEC officials visited the addresses stated for the day for their primaries but to their greatest amazement, the offices were under lock and keys.
Onuoha said besides those political parties that indicated their interest in the election, the Labour Party (LP) didn’t notify INEC of its intention to participate in the election, adding that the party’s primary was therefore not known or monitored by the INEC officials.
“Fourteen political parties expressed interest. They gave us their address, we went there and we didn’t see anybody. Those ones include Accord, BOOT Party, National Rescue Movement (NRM), Young Progressive Party (YPP), they closed their office.
“So, 14 expressed their interest but the other nine closed their offices. So, Labour Party didn’t express their interest”, Onuoha said.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, while expressing his sadness over the unwillingness for intending voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), said a total of 101,617 uncollected PVCs are recorded in the seven local government areas that are participating in the election.
He added that out of the 719,504 that registered for the election, only 617887 have collected their PVCs.
He assured the residents of the affected areas of free, fair and credible Bye-Elections in the state,
The REC, who disclosed that all modalities to ensure a smooth exercise have been put in place, urged residents to go out en-mass to cast their votes for their choice candidates.
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.”
Metro3 days agoEdo: How Pastor Hypnotised My Daughter, Made Her Abandoned NNPCL- Mother
News4 days ago9 Common Resume Mistakes Graduates Make – And How To Avoid Them
Entertainment5 days agoIt Is Getting Out Of Hand – Tuface Cries Out Amid Marital Crisis
News3 days agoOba Of Benin Suspends Priest, Reaffirms Appointment Of Okao
News4 days agoTinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut
Entertainment4 days ago‘We’re Coming To Save You’ – Teni On 2Face’s Distress Call
Entertainment4 days agoMy Marriage Ended Amicably – Comedian Sabinus Confirms Split From Wife
Sports3 days agoJUST IN: Full Draw For 2026 World Cup Group Stages Confirmed
Metro3 days agoMy Husband Felt Insecure After I Got A Job, Accused Me Of Infidelity —Wife
News4 days agoEdo Journalist Hospitalised After Being Attacked By Political Thug















