Peter Obi and 2027

 

By Chuks Iloegbunam
Peter Obi and 2027: Today’s central opposition figure is Peter Obi. Shortchanged by the ADC, the party could be staring its Nunc Dimitis in the face. With him in a commanding position, the masses would rally for peace and progress to be given a chance. It is on account of Peter Obi’s immense electoral potential that month after month and year in, year out, he is being subjected to the most virulent of campaigns aimed at bringing him low or knocking him down completely. But he remains strong and still stands tall, if only for the reason that Nigerians deserve better than the coarse and depersonalizing dessert of injustice, incoherence, incompetence, inconsistency, insincerity and insecurity being forced down their throats. Mr. Obi has absorbed barrages of calumniation with equanimity, showcasing his resilience. As fire tempers gold, he has emerged from all the tirades and invectives better positioned to lead Nigeria out of the doldrums with a team of forward-looking citizens.

By Chuks Iloegbunam

Whoever believed that politics operated only on certainties? Or that imponderables were never factored into any of it? The Nigerian experience is blatant. It placed a spreadsheet before allcomers and delivered new truths. A loudspeaker who previously believed that he was the custodian of all the answers, jetted at public expense from Abuja to London, where, inside a studio, he nestled in accustomed comfort for a long-scheduled media interview. However, he soon discovered to his chagrin that his buttocks had gone into a disagreeable embrace with a spikes-matted platform.

“Suddenly becoming talkative like weaverbird/Summoned at offside of dream remembered,” to quote from the first movement of Christopher Okigbo’s ‘Siren Limits,’ acrimonious voices of political certitude rose in unison. Peter Obi obviously had a hand in the fiasco. Mr. Obi lived in London for decades, and, during that period, probably struck a friendship with Al Jazeera’s Head-to-Head anchor Mehdi Hassan. Which was why Obi, the puppeteer, manipulated Mr. Hassan into distorting a programme configured for Daniel Bwala’s adulation of his Master Strategist and converting it to an inquisition. How else could it be explained that, whereas Barrister Bwala expected questions on the white man’s “discovery” of the River Niger to centre on Mungo Park, Hassan dubiously elected Richard Lander as his focus?

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Other certainties have been tumbling on each other, jostling for prominence. One of the most innovative of these certainties has already announced the victor of a presidential election that is ten months hence. After all, their victorious candidate already has 32 of the 36 State Governors on his flank. Further, the man also has the disciplined forces, the electoral umpire, and the Judiciary in his cavernous pocket. More than all else, the man’s financial war chest is gargantuan enough to buy up the planet’s leading political parties, including India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)! In this surrealistic world of certainties, it never occurs to its proponents that a man could own the whole world and yet suffer the loss of his soul.

To those who may listen, a lesson. Nothing is fully counted, not even votes, until everything, including votes, has been counted by the One that instituted counting. Sometimes, voters refuse and say “NO” to any more of old, recycled garbage. Oftentimes, people regularly characterized as morons take it upon themselves to repudiate and denounce the slanderous tag to rebuff inducement and intimidation. Such people know that Bwala flunked the Head-to-Head examination because even the most gifted salesman would have an impossible time advertising deodorized ordure. Nigerians are suffocating from the acrid stench of disarticulated political leadership. People weep about the multidimensional poverty afflicting the land. People rue the nation’s crippling debt overhang that has hit an unprecedented N153.29 trillion. People lament the loss of the anti-corruption war last “waged” around 2015 when one monster claimed that, “If Nigeria doesn’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.”

The bitter pill of national ruination is better served without arcane notions and terminologies. Bwala’s man promised constant electricity. He said that, if his promise went unredeemed, people should never again vote for him. Well, from 2023, power supply has been at its worst since the Amalgamation, with the national grid collapsing every millisecond. The situation is so abysmal that the self-professed Sango has collapsed into the bosom of solar power for recharging his cellphones and his consort’s hairdryers. It is like the Police, whose duty is to protect society, barricading themselves inside a shrine for a deity’s shield. Why should this bizarrity earn anyone another vote? The man had claimed that insecurity under President Jonathan signified the PDP’s unfitness for leadership. Today, national insecurity wears a coven-branded hat and blows an ear-tearing whistle. The country has become a vast playfield for bandits, kidnappers and terrorists to roam with impunity, but with less than a word of concern, compassion, commiseration or condemnation ever coming from the man and his privileged, nepotistic cabal. What temerity that he seeks the elongation of his gulag!

Of course, the reason is electoral fraud! Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin said, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.” That is why, despite 2023’s electoral reality, the country continues to wallow in hunger and want, despair and despondency, divisions and possible implosion. The opposition must stand up to be counted. Stench festers from a mound of excrement because those it is poisoning, lack the courage and common sense to tip over it a heavier mound of earth. The opposition must decide. It must expeditiously assemble behind a recognizable face with integrity. It must choose between disintegrating over who should be a presidential candidate and playing the patriotic card for the salvation of a long-suffering people.

Today’s central opposition figure is Peter Obi. Shortchanged by the ADC, the party could be staring its Nunc Dimitis in the face. With him in a commanding position, the masses would rally for peace and progress to be given a chance. It is on account of Peter Obi’s immense electoral potential that month after month and year in, year out, he is being subjected to the most virulent of campaigns aimed at bringing him low or knocking him down completely. But he remains strong and still stands tall, if only for the reason that Nigerians deserve better than the coarse and depersonalizing dessert of injustice, incoherence, incompetence, inconsistency, insincerity and insecurity being forced down their throats. Mr. Obi has absorbed barrages of calumniation with equanimity, showcasing his resilience. As fire tempers gold, he has emerged from all the tirades and invectives better positioned to lead Nigeria out of the doldrums with a team of forward-looking citizens.

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To extirpate the unwarranted and objectionable status quo and dredge water from the current national political aridity, patriots and principal elements of the ADC must make sacrifices. Only the selfish will posit personal elevation over national salvation. The ADC should zone the presidency to the South. The option speaks to equity, impartiality and justice. The North has had a surfeit of national leadership as it is. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has himself fought his battles. Some insiders claim that this foremost politician’s repartee whenever relinquishing his presidential ambition is tabled is that it is his constitutional right. But he will breach no constitutional provisions by absenting himself from ADC’s primary ballot. It will smack of hypocrisy to seek the justice of lancing the national boil by perpetuating the injustice that only one section of the country is ordained for perpetual rulership. Surely, eminent nationalists still exist in this country who can persuade Alhaji Atiku to be kingmaker rather than king.

If Peter Obi flies the ADC flag, or any other flag for that matter, embarrassment and fright will envelop the otherwise educated folks and listless media “practitioners” trolling on the Internet and busily reinforcing utter failure. These hapless fellows are supposed to be members of a middle class obliterated a long time ago. They shamelessly deny their evisceration. But who among them can replace a burst tyre today without borrowing, thieving or settling for a second-hand tokunbo tyre? Which one of them can purchase a brand-new car battery? Which one of them can pay for a prostate or breast cancer test, let alone surgery? Apart from inducement or tribal bigotry, why would they continue singing cacophonous tunes of flattery for a Paris-based cypher who routinely responds by firing off hot trans-Mediterranean farts of empty promises to further deafen society’s flotsam and jetsam?

Those who beg for or buy bones for the taste of meat to impact their soup pots are hungry and angry. They cannot afford to be sick. The cost of medication hovers above their bloodied but unbowed heads. The Ministry of Health got only N35 million this year, which is relative to a Senator’s monthly earnings. And the talk is of a country of over 200 million people. The poor and pauperized are the ones deserving of urgent attention. Not those who ridiculously blame the country’s woes on Peter Obi’s “expensive” Ray-Ban sunglasses. How odd to fault a wealthy man who used honestly earned money to buy a pair of spectacles while celebrating their man for burning billions of public funds to buy himself an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, a man who tossed N5 billion of public money into acquiring a new toy of a yacht? How inane to allege that Peter Obi bribed Mehdi Hassan to fox Daniel Bwala, when his failure is symptomatic of the worthlessness of what he represents? The opposition should move with one voice. This moment’s cry is of Peter Obi and 2027.

Chuks Iloegbunam wrote from Abuja.

Hotel building collapses in Abuja

Several persons are feared trapped after a hotel building identified as Ugo West Hotel, still under construction, collapsed in the Jikwoyi area of Abuja on Friday, sparking panic and a frantic rescue effort.

The incident, which occurred in the fast-growing suburb, drew crowds of shocked residents and passersby who rushed to the scene moments after the structure suddenly caved in. Eyewitnesses said the building gave way without warning, trapping workers and possibly other occupants beneath heaps of concrete and twisted metal.

One resident described the scene as chaotic as people scrambled to understand what had happened.

As of the time of filing this report, the exact number of victims—those trapped, injured or possibly dead—remains unclear. However, fears are mounting that casualties could be significant given the number of workers reportedly on site at the time of the collapse.

Before the arrival of emergency responders, local volunteers took matters into their own hands, using bare hands and rudimentary tools to dig through the debris in desperate attempts to reach those believed to be alive beneath the rubble.

Rescue agencies are expected to intensify operations as they arrive, while authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the collapse, raising fresh concerns over building safety standards in the area. GWG.NG

Naira gains strength against Dollar

The Nigerian currency continued its upward movement against the U.S. Dollar on Friday morning, sustaining the gains recorded earlier in the week as trading activity approached its final session. Both the official and informal segments of the foreign exchange market reflected improved stability, supported by steady dollar inflows and ongoing regulatory measures.

At the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the Naira recorded a modest gain during early trading hours. Mid-morning figures indicated that the currency exchanged at an average of ₦1,378.26 to the Dollar, improving slightly from Thursday’s closing rate of ₦1,382.45. This development reinforces a strengthening pattern that has been evident since the beginning of the second quarter.

Market participants attribute the relative calm in the official window to recent enhancements introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), particularly the upgraded Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System. The platform has improved transparency in transactions and enabled more efficient price determination, reducing volatility often seen at the start of new trading cycles. Dealers also noted that foreign exchange supply from independent sources, alongside inflows from foreign portfolio investors, has remained sufficient to meet existing demand.

A similar trend was observed in the parallel market, where the Naira traded within the ₦1,400 to ₦1,410 range across major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. The narrowing gap between official and street rates—currently estimated at between ₦22 and ₦32—signals progress in efforts to align both markets. Analysts say this convergence could discourage speculative trading practices and encourage broader use of formal banking channels.

Several underlying factors have continued to support the Naira’s resilience. Nigeria’s external reserves remain strong at about $49.5 billion, providing the monetary authorities with the capacity to manage market pressures. Additionally, firm global crude oil prices—particularly Bonny Light, which is trading above $100 per barrel—have sustained foreign currency inflows into the economy.

The Central Bank’s tight monetary stance has also played a role, with elevated interest rates helping to attract foreign investment into Naira-denominated assets, thereby strengthening demand for the local currency.

Looking ahead, financial experts anticipate that the Naira will likely close the week within the ₦1,375 to ₦1,390 range at the official window. While global economic developments and domestic demand trends remain key variables, current indicators point to a more stable and predictable exchange rate environment. Attention is now turning to upcoming inflation figures and future policy decisions by the apex bank, which are expected to shape the currency’s direction in the coming weeks. GWG.

Bala Mohammed to back Tinubu from PDP, can’t endure Atiku – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has confirmed that Bala Mohammed will not join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and intends to stay in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike, speaking at a media briefing on Friday, clarified the governor’s political stance amid speculation about potential party defections. According to the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed has repeatedly expressed his commitment to the PDP and his readiness to collaborate with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite being in the opposition.

Recounting private discussions dating back to 2022, Wike revealed that Bala had communicated challenges in his relationship with former PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, noting that cooperation between them would have been difficult. “He made it clear that he will not defect to the ADC and remains committed to supporting the PDP,” Wike said.

The former Rivers State governor also addressed broader political issues, reiterating his long-standing support for the rotation of power in Nigeria, particularly the advocacy for a southern presidency.

On internal party matters, Wike highlighted the importance of recognizing the contributions of party members who actively participated in the political struggle. He criticized attempts by individuals who had not been part of the effort to claim disproportionate influence or rewards.

Wike further commented on ongoing movements within the PDP, noting that the party is welcoming back members who had previously left. He emphasized that politics should not be approached as a permanent conflict, but rather as a space for dialogue and reconciliation.

“As far as I’m concerned, the convention has concluded. People are returning, the crisis is behind us, and the doors remain open,” Wike stated. “Politics is not a do-or-die battle. With sincerity, we can move forward together and strengthen our party.” GWG.

W/African power project nears completion, to enhance regional power supply, integration

 

The 330kV West African Power Pool (WAPP) North Core Interconnection project according to a statement by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is nearing completion.
The said the project holds significant potential to transform power supply and stimulate economic growth across West African countries.

The Chairman of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) Executive Board, Engr. (Dr.) Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, who also serves as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), made this known at the 9th Meeting of the Joint Supervision Committee held on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, in Abuja.

The WAPP Chairman, represented by the General Manager (Programme Coordinator) in TCN, Engr. Aminu Tahir, further noted that beyond the immediate benefits, the project is expected to reduce electricity costs, enhance grid reliability, and ensure a more stable power supply to critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and manufacturing.

“This project extends beyond infrastructure; it is a practical demonstration of regional cooperation that will stabilise national grids and promote economic activities across borders,” he said.

Engr. Abdulaziz further described the project as a symbol of unity, resilience, and collective strength, reflecting what can be achieved when countries collaborate toward a shared objective. He noted that even at this stage, the project is already yielding tangible benefits through job creation and capacity development across participating countries, thereby strengthening West Africa’s position in global infrastructure development.

He, however, acknowledged prevailing challenges on the ground, particularly security concerns and logistical constraints, which have continued to impact timelines and operations. He emphasized that the protection of personnel and critical infrastructure remains paramount to the successful delivery of the project.

The Chairman commended the continued support of development partners, particularly the African Development Bank and the World Bank, while underscoring the importance of transparency, accountability, and efficient resource utilisation as the project advances toward completion.

Reiterating the urgency of timely delivery, he urged all stakeholders to act decisively, noting that delays have direct implications for millions who depend on improved access to electricity. He further reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to accelerating progress, particularly along the Northern Corridor, which serves as a critical backbone of the project.

In his remarks, the Secretary General of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), Mr Abdoulaye Dia who was represented by Mr. Kodjo Afidegnon, provided an update on the project’s progress, disclosing that it had attained an overall physical execution rate of 56 per cent as of 31 December 2025. He added that 728.7 kilometres of transmission corridors had been cleared out of a total of 880 kilometres, while 5,692 affected persons had been duly compensated.

“While steady progress has been recorded, security challenges and logistical constraints in parts of the region continue to delay timelines and raise costs,” he said.

He emphasised that sustained collaboration among member states and development partners remains critical to maintaining momentum and ensuring the timely completion of the project.

During his presentation, the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the WAPP North Core Project PMU, Mr. Michel Ouedraogo, provided further insight, noting that security challenges in parts of the region have contributed to delays and increased project costs. These developments, he explained, have necessitated the extension of financing agreements and called for stronger support and commitment from beneficiary countries.

He added that efforts are being intensified to enhance coordination, strengthen safety measures, and accelerate implementation across all project segments.

The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministries of Energy and Finance of Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo, alongside utility executives and key project stakeholders, all committed to advancing a more integrated and reliable regional power network. Authority.

FRSC Corps Marshall appoints 4 Zonal Commanders, Ohaeri as new Spokesperson

 

Determined to bring about far reaching strategic push to improve operational strategy and accelerate road safety outcomes nationwide, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has approved the redeployment of 162 senior officers across key formations of the Corps.

In a press release by Agboola Olundegun, Assistant Corps Commander (ACC Administration), Corps Public Education Office, the sweeping postings, which designed to shore up performance, discipline, and innovation, include the appointment of four new Zonal Commanding Officers and the strategic redeployment of Sector Commanders to critical states including the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers, Kaduna, Bauchi, Imo, Benue, Yobe, Ogun, Delta, Osun, Kogi, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and others.

As part of the restructuring, the Corps Marshal approved the appointment of a new Corps Public Education Officer from within the system, elevating the erstwhile Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Deputy Corps Commander Osondu Ohaeri, fnipr to drive a more aggressive, responsive, and impactful public communication strategy for the Corps.

Those appointed as Zonal Commanding Officers are ACM C.Z. Mathew (RS5HQ Benin), ACM A.L.O. Ruk (RS9HQ Enugu), ACM B.S. Akande (RS10HQ Sokoto), and ACM Leye Adegboyega (RS12HQ Bauchi), all of whom are expected to provide strong leadership across their respective zones.

In the same vein, the following Corps Commanders have been deployed as Sector Commanders to further reposition field commands for optimal performance: AP Longkam to Kaduna Sector Command; O Ogunjobi to Ogun Sector Command; VA Kayode-Oni to Benue Sector Command; PE Bedford to Edo Sector Command; CE Edem to Delta Sector Command; FA Ajatta to Rivers Sector Command; FM Kalu Mnipr to Akwa Ibom Sector Command; SO Ordu to Bayelsa Sector Command; and T. Iliyasu to FCT Sector Command.

Others are; KB Kazeem to Kwara Sector Command; LL Fagge to Kogi Sector Command; ON Okoro to Imo Sector Command; ST Adebayo to Osun Sector Command; SD Kehinde to Oyo Sector Command; I Baba to Yobe Sector Command; and CS Luka to Bauchi Sector Command.

The Corps Marshal emphasised that the postings were meticulously guided by competence, track record, and the exigencies of national service, noting that the Corps will not relent in deploying its best hands to positions where their impact will be most felt.

He charged the newly appointed officers to bring renewed vigor, professionalism, and strategic focus to their assignments, while reinforcing the Corps’ zero tolerance for traffic violations and preventable road crashes.

Nigerian Navy hands over 3 suspected stowaways to Nigeria Immigration Service

 

The Nigerian Navy has handed over, three suspected stowaways rescued from a merchant vessel, MT ANATOLIA, to the Nigeria Immigration Service.
A stowaway is a person who conceals self aboard a vessel with the intent of travelling illegally to another country without authorisation.
The handover forms part of ongoing collaborative efforts between security agencies to curb illegal migration and enhance maritime safety and security.

The suspects, according to a statement by the Service were discovered on Saturday, 28 March 2026, concealed within the rudder compartment of the vessel while the ship was berthed at Dangote Terminal, Lagos.
They were safely evacuated from the compartment and conveyed to NNS BEECROFT for preliminary investigation and profiling and that initial findings identified the suspects as Armah Peter (26), Amisah Daniel (22), and Amoh Michael (25), all male nationals of Ghana.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had earlier travelled from Ghana to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where they reportedly lived and engaged in fishing activities for about one year.
The trio, with the aid of a canoe, gained access to the rudder compartment of MT ANATOLIA before the vessel departed Ivorian waters, with the intention of travelling illegally to Europe, the statement added.
The Service said that “after several hours at sea, believing they had arrived at their intended destination, they alerted the vessel’s crew, leading to their detection and subsequent rescue.
“Once again, parents, guardians, and authority figures within the society are requested to advice their youths against attempting to board sea-going vessels illegally,” the statement signed by Commodore A. Adams-Aliu said. Globalupfront.

Wike to Bala Mohammed: You’re already conquered

 

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has declared that the Bauchi state Governor, Bala Mohammed has been conquered due to his inconsistent in political stance.
He described Mohammed as a dishonest politician that cannot be trusted, saying he shifts alliances at will, warning Nigerians to watch closely those who, “say one thing today and another tomorrow”
The Minister mocked Governor Mohammed’s demand for the position of National Secretary of the PDP for his faction, describing him as a “conquered person” who should negotiate from a position of weakness, not by asking for the most important position.
​”You’re already conquered, you lost. You’re talking from a weak point and you want to demand Secretary? That is not done,” Wike said.
He boasted that the recent convention of the PDP has silenced doubters,  who predicted its collapse, saying “the convention has shown that the PDP is alive and kicking. Yes, there are one or two issues, but that is normal and we will fix them.”
Wike said  that ahead of the recently concluded national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he (Bala Mohammed) approached him and asked to produced the PDP National Secretary, a request he said was declined.
The FCT Minister also said the Bauchi State governor came to him in 2022, asking that President Bola Tinubu, who was the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate then, be supported in the 2023 election, only to backtracked few days later, insisting that such action showed the unstable character of Governor Mohammed.
He dismissed allegations by Governor Mohammed, that he was planted to destroy the PDP, branding the claim as “embarrassing, baseless and a product of an inconsistent mindset.”
Wike said; “It’s very embarrassing. He (Bala Mohammed) says one thing in the morning, in the afternoon he says a different thing. But for us, we are very happy that he has told Nigerians who he is —that he’s never been stable.” He said.
​
He reaffirmed his intent to remain in the PDP while maintaining his support for the President.
“I have made it clear, I will not leave the PDP, but I will continue to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That has always been my position, since 2022. I didn’t hide. Unlike those who will say one thing in the morning and say another in the afternoon,” Wike declared.
Wike while inspecting ongoing projects in Jahi and Kuje in Abuja, on Wednesday, expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work done by the contractors.
He added that the projects, which included the bridge and road linking Jahi with Gwarimpa, Airport Expressway to Kuje and Kuje to Gwagwalada, are expected to be commissioned to mark the third anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Authority.

2027: Attempt to endorse Tinubu as PDP candidate will be resisted – Turaki group

 

The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with Kabiru Tanimu Turaki has declared that any attempt to endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as consensus candidate of the party ahead of the 2027 elections will be firmly resisted.
This position was made known in a press briefing by the groups National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, who also presented interim results of the ongoing digital membership registration exercise.
Ememobong disclosed that over 4.2 million Nigerians had registered on the party’s digital platform within three weeks, describing the figure as a strong indication of continued public trust in the PDP despite internal challenges.
“Despite the trials we have faced, millions of Nigerians have kept faith with the PDP. This is a clear signal that the electorate is not defecting with politicians but remains committed to a credible alternative,” he said.
Emeobong noted that the registration exercise, which covered wards across the country, revealed significant youth participation, with over 40 per cent of registrants aged between 18 and 40 years.
According to him, the data also showed widespread national spread, with strong numbers recorded in the South West, South South, and North Central regions, as well as notable participation from Kaduna, Edo, and Oyo states.
The spokesman said the turnout reflects growing dissatisfaction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, particularly over issues of insecurity and economic hardship.
“These millions of Nigerians are dissatisfied with the current administration, where insecurity and killings have become the new normal,” he said, adding that delayed government responses to violent incidents have further deepened public frustration.
Ememobong accused some politicians of abandoning the party for personal gain, stressing that while political elites may defect, the electorate remains largely loyal to the PDP.
“What this registration has shown clearly is that politicians are defecting, not the electorate,” he stated.
He also raised concerns over what he described as attempts by certain individuals to position the PDP in support of President Tinubu’s re-election bid, warning that such moves would not be tolerated.
“We call on Nigerians to ignore those masquerading as PDP members while endorsing the President for a second term,” Ememobong said. “The PDP is an opposition party and cannot become an appendage of the APC.”
The Turaki-led group maintained that any form of political alignment that compromises the party’s opposition role would be rejected.
“Attempts to endorse President Tinubu as a PDP candidate will be resisted. It is impossible for the PDP to be subsumed under another party,” he added.
The party further announced an extension of its digital membership registration exercise to April 30, 2026, to accommodate more Nigerians willing to join.
Ememobong urged members to take advantage of the extension, noting that registration remains free and accessible through the party’s official platform.
He assured supporters that the party’s leadership would continue efforts to reposition the PDP and protect its structure from what he described as “anti-democratic forces.”
“We will take all necessary steps to rescue our party from those seeking to weaken it or turn it into a tool for another party,” he said.
Reaffirming the PDP’s role as a major opposition force, Ememobong said the party remains committed to offering Nigerians a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections. Authority.

Trump: We’ll bring Iran back to the Stone Age where they belong

 

United States (U.S.) President, Donald Trump, addressed Americans on Wednesday night, saying the United States’ military “Operation Epic Fury” is nearing completion of its objectives in Iran.

Trump, in an address from the White House, said the U.S. was intensifying operations in Iran, permanently disabling its ability to project power outside its own borders.

The U.S. leader said the objective of the war was to ensure that Iran never has nuclear weapons.

“I’ve made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved,” he said.

“I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly.

“We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks – we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong.”

The U.S. kicked off combat operations against Iran on February 28, destroying Iranian offensive missiles and missile production, the Iranian navy, and other security infrastructure.

Trump told the nation that the U.S. military has been masterful in how it has decimated one Iranian military capability after another.

“We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of its borders,” the president said.

“That means eliminating Iran’s navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their air force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base.

“We’ve done all of it; their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten.”

The president said that, taken together, these actions have crippled Iran militarily and crushed its ability to support terrorist proxies.

According to U.S. Central Command, since the start of operations, over 12,300 sites have been struck in Iran, over 13,000 combat flights have been launched, and over 155 Iranian military vessels have been damaged or destroyed.

Trump asked Americans to remember the military personnel who have lost their lives during the conflict.

“We think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran,” the president said.

The president also thanked allies in the Middle East, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, for providing support to American forces. Freedom.