Politics
Edo Guber: LP’s Akpata Distances Self From Alleged Sponsor Of Protest

A frontline Labour Party (LP) governorship aspirant in the forthcoming election in Edo State, Barrister Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, has distanced himself from the allegations and rumours making the rounds that he sponsored the protest that took place at the secretariat of the party in Benin on Sunday.
Recall that some members and supporters of the party who were mostly youths besieged the state party secretariat in their hundreds on Sunday and accused the national chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure of alleged support for some aspirants ahead of the party governorship primary to be held later this month.
Reacting to the protest and his alleged sponsor of the act during a press conference, the governorship aspirant said he never knew anything about the protest neither was in town, adding “the unfounded allegations and rumours are from persons who are not comfortable with my joining Labour Party.”
The immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, while condemning the act, said he’s in the Labour Party to build it by joining hands with other well meaning party members, hence he wouldn’t have hands in such an act.
“The baseless rumours and insinuations that have been mischievously circulated that these protesters are carrying out my bidding are totally false, unfounded, and quite frankly ridiculous. My major concern is that, these allegations are coming from a very high quarters of my party. And this is why I called this press conference to refute it,” he said.
He added: “I am in the Labour Party to build it; by joining hands with other party faithfuls, and that is what I have been doing, and that is what I am going to do. I am not in the Labour Party on national youth service. I am here as a permanent member, so no one can force me out. Any effort to force me out is in futility.”
READ ALSO: How Gunmen Killed My Colleagues, Ekiti Monarch Recounts Narrow Escape
On allegation of him being an agent of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the party, Akpata said: “I have repeatedly denied it that I am not governor Godwin Obaseki’s agent. I have rejected that label; I have rejected that toga. If you label me as Obaseki’s agent, then my aspiration is dead on arrival.
“Which message does Obaseki have that will make me follow him? The schools that he did not build or the roads his government refused to tare? Or the primary health care centres his government refused to build for our people? Is that the message I want to send to the people? You can’t give what you do not have. As far as I am concerned, the PDP and Obaseki have not done well for our people and this is why I am coming out.”
According to the governorship aspirant, “those who are uncomfortable with my ambition have devised a means of trying to get me out of the race by labelling me Obaseki’s agent. It is very convenient for these individuals to look for any means to cast aspersions on me, my name and my character so as to create doubt in the minds of those who, otherwise, are in agreement with my aspiration.”
Akpata boasted that, “I have turned out to be an aspirant to beat in the Labour Party. I have approached this matter (politics) with a totally different mindset and strategy.”
Politics
Probe Natasha’s Allegations Against Akpabio, Afenifere Urges FG

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has urged the Federal Government to investigate sexual harassment allegations levelled by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The call followed the Senate’s decision to lift Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension.
This, Afenifere said should not overshadow the need to establish the truth of her claims.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Afenifere’s National Organising Secretary, Kole Omololu, said the senator’s recall reflected commitment to the rule of law.
“We commend the Senate President, His Excellency Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Senate leadership for taking a decision that further reinforces the country’s rule of law,” Omololu said.
READ ALSO:Natasha Resumes At Senate, Calls Akpabio Dictator
The group, however, insisted that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations must not be ignored.
“For over six months, where are the facts and evidence of her grave allegations?” Afenifere asked.
It called on the “Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to carry out a full investigation into the matter.”
Afenifere also recalled Akpoti-Uduaghan’s past false sexual harassment claims against former presidential aide Reno Omokri, which ended in an out-of-court settlement.
“Does this not suggest that, without proof, her allegations against Akpabio are suspicious?” Omololu asked.
READ ALSO:UK Regulator Reports Air Peace Over Alleged Safety Violation
The group further criticised Akpoti-Uduaghan for taking her claims to international media, including BBC, CNN, Sky News and Deutsche Welle, saying the move portrayed Nigeria negatively abroad.
It also queried her participation in a session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in New York.
“If Natasha truly participated in the IPU meeting without due nomination, then it simply revealed her compromise or manipulation of our public institutions for pecuniary ends,” the group said.
In March 2025, Natasha was suspended for six months after a row in plenary and her petition accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.
READ ALSO:Naira Appreciates Massively Against US Dollar In The Black Market, Highest In 15 Months
She claimed the incident happened in December 2023, but the Senate’s Ethics Committee dismissed her petition on procedural grounds. Despite a court order halting disciplinary action, the Senate went ahead with her suspension, which also froze her pay and barred her from official duties.
Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged the suspension in court, insisting it was tied to her allegations. While the Senate said it acted over misconduct, the case attracted global attention after she granted interviews to international media. The matter remains unsettled, with Afenifere now urging federal authorities to investigate her claims.
Meanwhile, Natasha formally resumed her duties at the National Assembly on October 7, 2025, after her six-month suspension ended – and immediately claimed that Akpabio is a dictator.
And almost immediately, Akpabio’s media aide Kenny Okolugbo debunked the claim.
Politics
2027: Drama As Atiku Disowns Media Consultant Over Statement On Yoruba

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has denied any association with a media consultant named Kola Johnson.
This is as he also rejected statements released by the media consultant on Wednesday that he would protect Yoruba interests if elected as president in 2027.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, alleged that “faceless mercenaries” are behind the false press statement just to discredit him.
He also dismissed the claim as “false and offensive,” describing it as part of a calculated propaganda project to ridicule him in the media.
READ ALSO:Alleged Age Falsification: Absence Of Five Ex-police Officers Stalls Arraignment
The statement specifically mentioned one Kola Johnson, described as a “self-styled media consultant,” who allegedly released a publication claiming that an Atiku administration would be dominated by a single ethnic group.
The statement read, “Our findings point directly to the Presidency, which, in its desperation to smear opposition leaders, has resorted to hiring faceless mercenaries to fabricate fake stories and circulate unauthorised statements on Atiku.
“Particularly offensive is the false claim attributed to this individual that an Atiku administration would be dominated by a single ethnic group. This disinformation is part of a calculated propaganda project designed to ridicule Atiku in the media.
“Let it be clear: Atiku Abubakar has never engaged one Kola Johnson as a media consultant, aide, or associate. Any statement issued in that name is fake and should be disregarded. We urge media houses that have published such falsehoods to immediately retract them.”
READ ALSO:Why I Resigned From PDP – Atiku
The statement also clarified that authentic information on the former Vice President is only released through his Media Adviser or Special Assistant on Public Communications.
“Editors and media gatekeepers are strongly advised to verify with the Atiku Media Office before publication,” the statement added.
It was widely reported on Wednesday that Atiku has assured people of the South-West geo-political zone that their interest would remain central to his policy direction if elected President in 2027, noting that his long-standing marital and cultural ties to the region make him family.
The report quoted a statement by one, Kola Johnson, as saying that the former Vice President spoke during an engagement with select stakeholders.
READ ALSO:2027 Coalition: Atiku, Secondus, Other PDP Leaders Meet In Abuja
The report said Atiku described the people of the South-West as one of the finest species of the human race, noting that his marriage to a Yoruba woman in the 1970s forged a permanent bond between him and the Yorubas.
He dismissed fears of Hausa/Fulani domination under his leadership as unfounded, insisting that the Yoruba were his larger extended family and in-laws.
The former vice president added that his Yoruba connections extend beyond family, as some of his closest friends and associates were from the region.
“In case you don’t know or have forgotten, I was married to my first wife, Titi, a Yoruba woman, in the 70s, and we have four Yoruba children together. She is now over 75 years old, and we are still together.
“Besides, the Yoruba are so sophisticated and highly educated that you can only toy with them at your peril,” Atiku stated. “My Ijesha-born Yoruba wife is more than a wife to me. Aptly put, she is my Jewel of Inestimable value and anybody who knows about my family, even from a distance, can easily tell you this.”
Politics
PHOTOS: Atiku, El-Rufai, Tambuwal, Others Attends ADC Meeting In Abuja

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday attended a meeting of the African Democratic Congress coalition leaders in Abuja, alongside several prominent politicians.
Among those present were former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai; ex-Minister of Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; ADC National Chairman and former Senate President, David Mark; former Kwara State governor, Abdulfatai Ahmed; and ex-Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal.
In a post on his official X handle, Atiku described the gathering as part of efforts to resist what he called entrenched interests holding back Nigeria’s development.
He stated that the meeting was also against the oligarchs who promote poverty and insecurity in the country.
He wrote, “I am currently at the stakeholders meeting of the Coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abuja. It’s a meeting of the Nigerian people against the oligarchs who promote poverty and insecurity in the land.”
The ADC coalition was adopted in July by opposition politicians as the platform to challenge for power in the 2027 general elections.
The African Democratic Congress, originally formed in 2005 as the Alliance for Democratic Change, later changed its name to ADC and was officially registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2011. The party positioned itself as a centrist alternative to the dominant Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress.
READ ALSO:ADC Will Take Over Aso Rock, Lagos Govt House In 2027 — Aregbesola
Over the years, it has attracted defectors and reform-minded politicians seeking to build a third force in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Other members of the coalition include former PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus; 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; former House of Representatives Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha; ex-Kogi Central Senator, Dino Melaye, and a former National Chairman of the APC, Odigie Oyegun.
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