Politics
Election Cases: APC Accounts Seized Over N8.9bn Debts

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, on Wednesday, sought a bailout for the ruling party over N8.9bn election debts.
Ganduje revealed that the party’s accounts had been garnisheed following the huge debt resulting from the cases filed by the opposition parties to challenge the elections of President Bola Tinubu, APC governors and legislators.
The former Kano State governor disclosed this at the National Executive Committee meeting of the APC, held a day after the party held its national caucus meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In attendance were President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima; Senate President Goodwill Akpabio; Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole and former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari.
Others were the National Chairman of the APC, Ganduje; former Governor of Kebbi and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, members of the National Working Committee; APC state chairmen, among others.
However, some notable bigwigs did not attend the NEC meeting, including the immediate-past President Muhammadu Buhari; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the embattled former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, erstwhile Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.
Others were former Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and former Speaker and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Briefing the party leadership about the state of the APC, Ganduje said the N8.9bn expenses were for pre-election legal battles, election cases and appeals for legislative, governorship, and presidential elections.
He, however, noted that the National Legal Adviser, Prof Abdul Kareem Kana (SAN), had been working to reduce the debt burden.
He said, “Your Excellencies, the current NWC inherited debts and legal liabilities to the total tune of N8,987,874,663 from all the cases outlined above, ranging from legal engagements during the pre-election matters, election cases and appeals for legislative, governorship and presidential elections.
“The details are also contained in the document report from the office of the National Legal Adviser in your folder. The National Legal Adviser has been making frantic efforts toward reducing the debt burden through dialogue and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
READ ALSO: Crisis Rocks APC As Ganduje, Minister Disagree Over Party State Chairmanship
“However, we still passionately appeal to the National Executive Committee to intervene accordingly. It is important to note that some of our accounts are still garnisheed.”
The APC national chairman also begged Tinubu to help secure a parcel of land from the Federal Capital Territory Administration for the construction of a new secretariat.
The former Kano governor stated that the current structure is old and not befitting the status of a ruling party.
He said, “Your Excellencies, as part of our commitment to secure and own a national secretariat complex befitting of a ruling party and one that would conveniently accommodate our national officers, the newly established The Progressives Institute as well as the three wings of the party, we have formally applied for land at the Federal Capital Territory Administration that will drive this project.
“May I, therefore, appeal for the kind intervention of Mr President for this project to materialise?
“Let me once again applaud the Leader of our party, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for initiating laudable programmes that would subsequently ensure rapid inclusivity.”
Ganduje thanked the party faithful for their steadfastness in the face of challenges and assured them that the party would continue to deliver on its electoral promises.
“Though the journey has been very challenging for us as a ruling party, given the big task we have at hand and the expectations from Nigerians, we can sufficiently submit that we have collectively risen to the occasion and challenges,” he said.
He further briefed the NEC on efforts taken so far to appease and reconcile aggrieved members of the party.
“Your Excellencies, we have also embarked on massive reconciliation of aggrieved party members, and this move is gradually yielding desired positive results for the party.
“Through dialogue, we have initiated high-level discussions amongst party leaders and other stakeholders with a view to resolving lingering differences between our members,” he stated.
The NEC passed a vote of confidence on Tinubu in appreciation of his leadership.
When the motion for Tinubu’s endorsement was raised, it was immediately seconded by Oshiomhole.
READ ALSO: Withhold Allocation To Osun LGs, APC Tells FG
The former governor hinged his conviction on the economic reforms introduced by the President, which he said had started yielding fruits.
He said, “I congratulate you, Mr President, the Vice President and even the leaders of the National Assembly because, without a collaborative legislative environment, reforms can be deformed.
“But under their leadership, reforms are truly ‘reforming’ everywhere. I thank you once again, Mr President and all the NEC members.”
The NEC also ratified the party leadership to the North-West to put an end to the agitation of anti-Ganduje critics and others who want the chairmanship to return to the North-Central.
Reacting, Tinubu applauded the NEC and the leadership of the party for keeping faith with his Renewed Hope Agenda.
The President also expressed gratitude to Nigerians and the APC National Working Committee for contributing massively to his electoral victory.
He said, “The place we are gathering today is too small for us and I agree with you that we need a bigger location. I think the minister of national economic planning is here. We will discuss it with the minister in charge, and we will do something about it.
“The National Working Committee is doing a good job and I am happy with them. In all the various states, let us set up reconciliatory committees to liaise with these aggrieved leaders. I am appealing to them, please be calm.
“Let the NEC find a way to celebrate our progressive ideals, and I promise you, our governors and Nigerians, that we will sustain these progressive changes. Everywhere in the world, especially in Europe, we have economic shocks, and we are doing everything possible.”
Tinubu said he was keen to stabilise the APC by resolving the lingering crisis in the state chapters of the party.
Therefore, he asked the party’s NWC to create a team to address the fault lines, appealing for calm during the peace talks.
“I’m grateful to all Nigerians for the electoral successes recorded from one state to the other. Governors, you have embraced these changes, and I thank the leadership of our party. I also thank members of the National Assembly for expeditiously considering the budget.
READ ALSO: AGF Asks Adeleke To Stop LG Poll, Says A’Court Has Restored APC Chairmen
“We can only build the party on a progressive platform to deliver good service to Nigerians.
“The National Working Committee is doing a very good job; I am pleased with them. However, there are a few conflicts in the various states.
“Let’s set up committees to look into the lingering problems in the states and appeal to these party leaders in various states to please be calm and be collaborative,” the President said.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday titled, ‘At the APC NEC meeting, President Tinubu receives a vote of confidence and pledges to work harder for Nigeria’s prosperity.’
The President’s push for reconciliation follows an emerging crisis in at least seven state chapters of the APC as politicking begins ahead of the 2027 general polls.
In Kano State, for instance, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, has vowed to resign if Abdullahi Abbas retains his position as the state APC chairman.
Similarly, in Benue State, a power tussle between Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, deepened divisions within the APC.
In Lagos State, the APC is managing a leadership crisis within the state House of Assembly.
The turmoil began on January 13, 2025, when 36 out of 40 lawmakers voted to impeach Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, citing allegations of poor leadership, habitual lateness, high-handedness, and misappropriation of funds.
In his absence, Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda was appointed as the new Speaker.
READ ALSO: Your Tenure Witnessed Monumental Corruption, Insecurity, APC Chieftain Replies Buhari
The crisis has prompted interventions from high-ranking APC leaders, including the President, former APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba.
The APC is also contending with challenges in Adamawa, Delta, Rivers, Zamfara and Bayelsa.
In Osun State, the APC is stabilising after a group led by the former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, finally left the party.
At the NEC meeting, the President also expressed his determination to work harder for the country’s greater good, assuring that the Nigerian economy was on the path of recovery as the leadership cast a vote of confidence in him.
He said the commendation from the party’s highest decision-making organ was a call for more hard work. He promised not to fail the party faithful.
“I am happy with your vote of confidence, and I accept it. The vote is a challenge to do more work; we will vigorously pursue our sovereignty in food security, investment and development.
“I am happy with food prices coming down, especially as Ramadan approaches. The sun is high, and the sky is bright outside. While the rest of the world unravels, we see growth in Nigeria. We are seeing a gradual return to stability. We are seeing improvements. I thank you, governors,” the President said.
He thanked Nigerians for their continued belief and trust in the ruling party.
The Nigerian leader also pledged to continue working assiduously with other arms of government to ensure the greater good for Nigerians and commended APC governors and executives for their continued and unwavering commitment.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, reiterated the National Assembly’s commitment to supporting Tinubu in lifting the nation from its economic and developmental woes.
“The Senate will expeditiously pass bills that would enhance our national development, improve the economy and redirect our national pathway,” he said.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, commended the President for his vision and courage in making unpopular but essential decisions.
He said the decisions were pivotal for Nigeria’s developmental efforts.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Lagos Assembly Crisis Deepens As Speaker Meranda’s Security Withdrawn
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, defended the absence of some party heavyweights.
Speaking with journalists at the end of the meeting, he said, “The presence or absence of some party leaders in today’s meeting is not a problem. I have never known the caucus meeting of our party or the NEC to be attended 100 per cent by all of the members.
“I’m not sure that there’s really any political party that attains 100 per cent attendance at meetings. There is a lot of back-end negotiation of the convenience and availability of key leaders who were required to be at the meeting.
“For example, when you have a president as busy as President Bola Tinubu with his schedule, it’s not a tea party to reconcile his movements and schedule to get him to come sit at a meeting for four hours. It’s not that easy.
“So, whatever time you pick will be convenient for some and not convenient for others. That’s just the way it is. So that’s the first point I make about those who came today. Now I can’t stand here and tell you why they didn’t come. But be rest assured that every member of the caucus and NEC were invited.”
According to him, the attendance at the two-day events was comprehensive enough.
“As a matter of fact, we enlarged the list today. We had more members invited than we did previously. So, quite to the contrary, the trend is towards accommodating more leaders as members of NEC,” he stated.
Morka, however, took a swipe at ex-Governor El-Rufai, saying his recent public attack on the party was unbecoming of someone of his status.
The APC spokesman said it was one thing to be aggrieved and another to be seen dragging one’s party and its leaders in the public.
He said, “There’s a difference between party men and people who speak because they have a grievance. Grievance-driven commentaries, to me, are not to be taken that seriously.
“I was prepared to respond to El-Rufai and to suggest to him that some of his recent engagements are unnecessary for someone who occupies the position that he has acquired in this country.
“Men who are respected must also continue to justify the respect that they get. It’s not a good idea that once you are dissatisfied, especially when it comes to personal experiences, you want to visit your grievance on a system of equality. But you are just one individual. Every vote is just one person.
“He’s a highly respected citizen, but my advice and counsel to him is that he needs to think in perspective of his status. Otherwise, if he continues to engage, people have the right to reply. APC and its organs are working as effectively as possible. How else do you explain the vibrancy or the deluge of people into the party?
“Today, we have more than 18 legislators in the National Assembly, if I am not mistaken, who have already defected from the opposition parties into our party. If their parties were working more efficiently, they wouldn’t be coming to join us,” he noted.
(PUNCH)
Politics
Tinubu Under Fire Over Presidential Pardon For Drug Offenders

Opposition parties and political figures, including the African Democratic Congress and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to grant presidential pardons to dozens of convicted criminals, including drug traffickers, describing the move as a grave setback to Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign and a dangerous affront to justice and morality.
The Presidency on Saturday released a detailed list of 175 individuals granted the 2025 presidential pardon, among them the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.
The pardon, which also included presidential clemency, covered more than 30 convicted drug offenders and several others jailed for crimes such as homicide, fraud, and illegal mining. The development has sparked widespread criticism and debate across the country.
In a statement on Sunday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the move as “pathetic and a national disgrace,” arguing that it undermines the nation’s war against drugs, encourages criminality, and damages Nigeria’s international reputation.
“The African Democratic Congress finds as pathetic and an act of immense national disgrace the recent presidential pardon and clemency granted to several convicted criminals by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement read.
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“It amounts to a most irresponsible abuse of the presidential power of prerogative of mercy to grant express pardon to dozens of convicts held for drug trafficking, smuggling, and related offences—especially when most of these convicts have barely served two years in jail for crimes that attract life imprisonment.”
The party said the decision sends a disturbing message that remorse and token rehabilitation are now sufficient grounds for freedom, even for serious crimes.
“According to official statements, it appears that all it takes to get presidential clemency for even the worst of crimes in Nigeria—including drug trafficking, gun running, and murder—is to show remorse and learn skills,” ADC said.
It added that the purpose of pardon and clemency is to correct miscarriages of justice and reintegrate those who have genuinely paid their debt to society, not to excuse dangerous offenders.
“We wonder what Nigeria stands to gain from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Grants Presidential Pardon To Herbert Macaulay, 174 Others
“For years, NDLEA officers have risked life and limb to combat this problem,” the party said. “Granting clemency to individuals convicted under such laws makes a mockery of their sacrifice and gives the world the impression that Nigeria, under President Tinubu, is sympathetic to drug dealers and a safe haven for traffickers.”
Also, Atiku said the pardon had “rightly sparked nationwide outrage.”
Atiku said while the presidential power of mercy is intended to balance justice with compassion, its misuse weakens confidence in the rule of law.
“Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite,” Atiku said. “Extending clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption diminishes the sanctity of justice and sends a dangerous signal to both the public and the international community.”
He described the decision as “shocking and indefensible” at a time when Nigeria is grappling with insecurity, moral decay, and a surge in drug-related crimes.
READ ALSO: FULL LIST: 175 Beneficiaries Of Tinubu’s Pardons
“Particularly worrisome,” he added, “is the revelation that 29.2 per cent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related offences, even as our youth are being destroyed by narcotics and our nation continues to battle the global stigma of drug offences.”
In a pointed criticism, Atiku said the pardon raises “moral irony” given the lingering questions about Tinubu’s past in relation to a U.S. drug-related forfeiture case, noting that “it is therefore no surprise that this administration continues to show tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.”
“A presidential pardon should symbolise restitution and moral reform. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, and a demoralization of law enforcement.
“Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes moral authority and emboldens lawlessness.”
Atiku called for a review of the clemency process to ensure transparency, fairness, and respect for public interest, insisting that “Nigeria needs leaders who defend justice, not those who undermine it.”
Politics
Umahi Fires Back At Makinde Over Lagos-Calabar Highway Cost

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has fired back at Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his recent comments questioning the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, insisting that the governor misunderstood the technical details of road construction and cost evaluation.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the Keffi Bridge and the Nasarawa–Toto Road projects, alongside the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Saturday, Umahi said the cost of the highway had been carefully computed in line with global engineering standards and should not be reduced to “political soundbites.”
Governor Makinde had queried the minister’s estimated figures on the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is one of the signature infrastructure projects of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.
READ ALSO:Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis
He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘How has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.
Responding to the inspection tour, the former Ebonyi governor described Makinde as “a brother and friend” but said it was improper for him to publicly accuse him of “dancing around” figures.
“I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde of Oyo state, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him. I think he is an engineer, I think he is an electrician, they call it ‘elect-elect’. But this road construction matter, ‘elect-elect no reach there’,” Umahi said.
He continued, “I am his senior both in governance and in engineering practice. So, anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me and ask. I have great respect for him as my friend and brother, but he should withdraw the statement that I’m dancing around. I never danced around. If he insists, he should come for a debate, which is very important.”
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Defending the project further, Umahi explained that there was no ambiguity in determining the cost per kilometre, stressing that it must be understood in both estimated and average terms.
“There is no ambiguity in cost per kilometre,” he said. “I am teaching them that cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost, which has elements of variance, and average cost, which is definitive. The average cost of a definitive project and the estimated cost are probable elements.”
He explained that the estimated cost includes allowances for contingencies and variation of price, which may not eventually be utilised.
“When the project is completed, and you remove what you didn’t use, such as contingencies and VOP, then you have your actual cost,” he added.
READ ALSO:Umahi Terminates Benin–Warri Road Contract, Seeks Refund
Umahi expressed amusement that some critics had resorted to asking Artificial Intelligence to explain the difference between estimated and average cost, only for the AI’s response to align with his explanation.
“When somebody who is dangling without knowledge goes to ask AI what the difference is between cost per kilometre and average cost, I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said,” the minister quipped.
He also cited the National Universities Commission’s clarification on who qualifies as a professor, noting that practical experience in the field also counts as expertise.
“I’m happy that the NUC programme on who is a professor also made me right. You can become a professor by the reason of your practice. And I think God has made me one when it comes to practical, field engineering programmes, that’s what it is; you can’t take it back,” Umahi said.
Politics
Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.
National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.
The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
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The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.
Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.
There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.
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