PDP will shock Nigerians in 2027 – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will go ahead with its national convention as planned on March 29 and 30, adding that efforts to reconcile aggrieved members will continue after the event.

Wike also expressed confidence that the party will make a strong comeback in the 2027 general elections, saying it will shock Nigerians with its performance.

He dismissed a Supreme court appeal by a group led by Tanimu Turaki, stating it would not affect the convention.

Speaking on Friday night after inspecting the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Velodrome in Abuja, the venue of the convention, Wike stressed that resolving internal disagreements is an ongoing process.

He said, “There is room for accommodation. The PDP is a very large party. Look at the umbrella, it is wide enough to accommodate everyone.

“I have always said that in any group, there will be grievances. You cannot expect that in a family of two or three people, everyone will always be satisfied, let alone a party with millions of members. There will always be a few who are not happy. We have agreed to sit down with them, understand their concerns, and see how we can accommodate them. What is most important is the overall interest of the party.”

On zoning, Wike confirmed that key positions have already been shared among regions to ensure balance.

“We have already zoned our positions. Every zone has its own slots. The presidency has been zoned to the South, while the chairmanship is zoned to the North. We believe this consensus arrangement will make the process easier.

“For the first time, the PDP is presenting a unified front, rather than the usual ‘unity list’ that often reflects internal divisions. There are no factions; everyone has agreed on the direction we are taking.”

He added that preparations for the convention are nearly complete.

“We are fully prepared. This visit is to assess final arrangements. As I said, we are about 95 percent ready, and by tomorrow, everything will be set.

“Seating arrangements for all states have been completed, and the VIP section is ready. We do not expect more than 2,500 delegates.”

The convention is scheduled to hold in Abuja on Sunday and Monday. Newspot.

INEC extends submission date of party members register

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit their members register to the commission for the 2027 general election.

The commission disclosed this in a statement by National Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, on Friday in Abuja.

Haruna said that instead of the April 21 deadline, political parties now have until May 10, but not later than 21 days before the holding of their respective primaries.

He said that the decision was reached following the commission meeting with the political parties on Tuesday.

He said that the parties raised concerns on the timeline for the submission of political parties’ registers of members under the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election.

Haruna said that the commission agreed to adjust the period for the submission of the membership register to align with the 21 days prescribed by Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

Haruna added that the new actual dates was fixed by political parties themselves.

“Political parties are accordingly informed that they are free to fix the dates of their primaries within the approved period from the April 23 to May 30. It is imperative that parties adhere to this timeline to ensure a smooth electoral process.

“The register of party members must be submitted to INEC not later than 21 days before the holding of their respective primaries.

“This means that the final deadline for the submission of political parties’ registers of members is extended to May 10 , from April 21 originally contained in the revised Timetable,” he said. Newspot.

12 US troops injured in Iranian missile attack on Saudi base

As many as twelve US service members have been injured in an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia after an Iranian missile struck the facility’s outer compound, reports citing US officials said on Saturday.
According to sources, “as many as 12 US troops have been injured, two of them seriously, in an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.”
Sources confirmed that the latest casualties add to the more than 3,000 US military personnel who have been wounded since the start of the war last month.
Prior to the attack, the US military informed reporters that approximately 273 to 300 wounded service members had returned to duty. The Pentagon has confirmed the killing of 13 service members in the war so far.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that the US attacks are crushing Iran and that “They’re being hit so hard anybody would be negotiating.” However, Iran has so far rejected any claims of seeking a ceasefire or talks amid efforts to prevent the conflict from turning into a global war, as experts have predicted.
“Remember this, they lied,” he said.
“They’re begging to make a deal. Turned out I was right. They were negotiating.”
The US President then claimed Iran had offered to send oil shipments in compensation for misleading the United States about their participation in negotiations. Newspot.

Nigerian working for Iran confesses spying for US, Israeli Embassies

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered an accelerated hearing in the trial of three men accused of spying on United States and Israeli interests in Nigeria for contacts linked to Iran, in a case that is now raising fresh concerns about foreign intelligence activity on Nigerian soil.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the request on Wednesday following an oral application by prosecuting counsel, Bello Abu, which was not opposed by the defence.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defendants, Haruna Abbas, Ibrahim Musa and Adam Suleiman were arrested in Kano and Lagos States in 2013.

At the resumed hearing, a prosecution witness from the Department of State Services (DSS), James Simon, told the court that Abbas admitted he was recruited to spy on American and Israeli interests in Nigeria, particularly their embassies.

Simon, who testified as the first prosecution witness, said he personally recorded Abbas’ statement, in which the defendant detailed how he gathered intelligence, passed information, and recruited other Nigerians into the operation.

According to the witness, Abbas also revealed that he travelled to Iran, where he and others were trained by unidentified military personnel. The training, the court heard, covered surveillance, counter-surveillance, intelligence gathering, recruitment, communication, and a brief session on weapon handling.

He told the court that the nature of such training and assignments clearly points to terrorism, regardless of whether those involved are formally designated.

“The act of involvement of non-military personnel in surveillance, recruitment of persons and even weapon handling amounts to the act of terrorism,” the witness said.

Kwankwaso to join ADC Wednesday

Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is set to formally join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday, strong indications revealed on Tuesday.

According to reliable sources within the ADC, Kwankwaso is expected to pick up his membership card in his hometown, Kwankwaso, in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State.

Kwankwaso, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has recently hosted top ADC figures at his Kano residence, heightening speculation about his imminent defection.

Among his high-profile visitors was Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, also held a meeting with Kwankwaso amid growing claims that he is considering aligning with the ADC.

Makinde is a key figure in a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki, SAN, which has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership tussle with a rival camp loyal to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

Reconciliation efforts between the factions have so far yielded no breakthrough.

Meanwhile, the ADC on Tuesday received the report of its constitution review committee.

The document was presented to the party’s National Legal Adviser, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, on behalf of ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark. Star news.

Kano Deputy Governor resigns after quiet pressure

The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, has stepped down from his position. He said his decision was to help maintain stability in governance and allow the office to work better.

In a statement released on Friday by the Kwankwasiyya Movement, the resignation was described as a hard choice but one made for the good of the people of Kano State.

The statement said, “The Deputy Governor of Kano State has tendered his resignation from office…

This decision, though difficult, has been taken in the overall interest of the people and the stability of governance in Kano State.”
GWG.

Dangote Refinery reduces Petrol price to N1,200

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced its ex-gantry petrol price to N1,200 per litre, marking a downward adjustment in its pricing structure.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the refinery on Thursday.

The price cut comes amid ongoing volatility in global oil markets driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The latest adjustment represents a N75 reduction from the previous price of N1,275 per litre, despite rising crude oil prices globally.

The refinery also announced a reduction in its coastal price to N1,153, signalling potential downstream effects across Nigeria’s fuel distribution chain.

The refinery confirmed the price reduction and linked the decision to prevailing global oil market conditions. The move is expected to impact supply costs across depots and retail outlets.

“Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has reduced its gantry price for petrol to N1,200 per litre and its coastal price to N1,153 per litre, a move that comes amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East that continue to influence global oil markets.”

“The adjustment marks a downward review in the refinery’s pricing structure and is expected to influence fuel supply costs across distribution channels, including depots and retail outlets.”

The statement underscores the refinery’s responsiveness to market dynamics despite global uncertainties. Newspot.

Tinubu expands PiCNG mandate to include electric vehicles

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the expansion of the mandate of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PiCNG) in a new drive to reposition the initiative.

The initiative will now be known as the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PiCNG & EV).

With this approval, PiCNG & EV will lead and coordinate Nigeria’s clean mobility strategy, covering gas-driven vehicles and Electric Vehicles nationwide.

The Initiative will continue to drive the deployment of CNG infrastructure, including Mother and Daughter Stations, Integrated Refuelling Units, CNG vehicles and equipment, and nationwide conversion programmes. It will also anchor the development and rollout of electric vehicles, EV charging infrastructure, and related investments nationwide.

Gas remains a competitive and strategic fuel for transportation, leveraging Nigeria’s abundant resources to lower costs, strengthen energy security, and conserve foreign exchange. The inclusion of electric vehicles further strengthens the government’s agenda for affordable, efficient, and environmentally responsible mobility.

President Tinubu has also directed the Executive Chairman of PiCNG & EV to immediately establish a coordinated process for the rapid deployment of vehicle conversion kits across the country and ensure that such kits are accessible to Nigerians at a cost that is not burdensome.

To achieve this, the Initiative will work with CreditCorp Nigeria, financial institutions, and relevant partners to design cost-effective financing structures that make vehicle conversions widely accessible to the public.

The President further directed the accelerated deployment of Mobile Refuelling Units (MRUs) to expand access to CNG while permanent infrastructure continues to scale.

Ozoro and the festival of shame

By Olusegun Adeniyi
In her remarkable piece published last Saturday, former Ekiti State First Lady, Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, recounted a haunting story that ended in tragedy at the family compound of a man renowned as a chronic debtor. The community had held its annual festival for publicly calling out social offenders. Apparently incensed, the man, called ‘Baba Kekere’, emerged from his room with a machete and beheaded one of the young men who had come to shame him. According to Adeleye-Fayemi, that was the last year the festival was held in the Ekiti State community. In their wisdom, the traditional ruler and elders agreed that no tradition was worth the blood of its citizens.

I recall this story because it speaks directly to what happened in Ozoro, Delta State, last week. The images that emerged from what community leaders described as the ‘Alue-Do’ Festival were an indictment on every structure that allowed such an abomination to occur under the pretext of cultural observance. Trending videos reveal mobs of young men chasing women through the streets, ripping their clothes, groping and molesting them in broad daylight. Female students of Delta State University, who were going about their normal activities, suddenly found themselves trapped in a nightmare.

The response of the community leaders has followed a familiar script. The President-General of Ozoro Kingdom, Chief Berkley Asiafa, and the Secretary-General, Prince Obaro Egware, have explained that ‘Alue-Do’ is a traditional fertility celebration during which married couples without children are teased and sand is poured on women as a symbolic invocation. Even if we accept this explanation at face value, and I don’t, the pertinent question is: What kind of fertility ritual publicly humiliates women who are already dealing with the private agony of childlessness? Besides, it says much about the tradition that when a couple is childless, it is the wife that should bear the brunt of being publicly shamed.

The Delta State Police Command has since arrested 15 suspects, including the chief priest and community head. The ‘Alue-Do’ Festival has now been banned. These are welcome steps, but they address the symptom rather than the disease. What happened in Ozoro was the predictable mutation of a nationwide cultural practice rooted in the subjugation of women. Across Nigeria today, women remain prisoners of cultural practices that have long outlived whatever purpose they may once have served.

The ‘Oro’ festival in parts of Yorubaland is perhaps the most striking example. During the festival, women are forbidden from stepping outside their homes, sometimes for days. The penalty, according to tradition, is death. Markets close. Schools are shut. Women in gainful employment lose working days. In a February 2018 perpetual injunction granted community leaders in Ipokia whose residents could no longer leave with daytime processions, Justice Owodunni Sikiru of the Ogun State High Court restrained the ‘Oro’ adherents, “their privies, agents and cohorts from declaring or imposing a daytime curfew, or carrying out activities in any manner that interferes with the fundamental rights of the people to freedom of movement.” Even when the injunction still stands, enforcement has been patchy at best. As recently as June 2025, residents of Ikorodu in Lagos State were still pleading with the government to stop daytime ‘Oro’ processions that effectively place women under house arrest. In 1999, in Sagamu, Ogun State, a Hausa woman who ventured outdoors during the ‘Oro’ festival was killed, triggering an inter-ethnic communal crisis that claimed 68 lives.

Let us be clear about what is at stake here. Whatever spiritual significance it holds for adherents, ‘Oro’ festival operates on a simple premise: Women are so inferior, so ritually contaminating, that the mere sight of them can defile a ‘deity’. This is not theology; it is misogyny dressed in the garments (literally and metaphorically) of religion. Striped of all pretensions, the men who suddenly become ‘deities’ that women must not see were born by women and many of them have female wives and daughters!

But this problem extends far beyond festivals. In some parts of the Southeast, a widow is still expected to drink the water used to bathe her husband’s corpse to prove she did not cause his death. She may be locked in a room with the body, forced to sleep on the bare floor, compelled to eat from broken plates, and have her head and pubic hair shaved by kinswomen. Also, in some parts of the North, child marriage persists as a “cultural” or “religious” obligation, pushing girls as young as twelve into unions that amount to legalised sexual violence. Meanwhile, an estimated 20 million Nigerian women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation, a figure that represents ten percent of the global total, and not a single conviction has been secured under the laws that prohibit it.

The common thread in all these practices is the treatment of women’s bodies as communal property, available for regulation, punishment, and control by men and, in many cases, by other women acting as enforcers of patriarchal norms. This is how deeply these toxins have seeped into our cultural bloodstream. As a fallout of the Ozoro incidence, Adeleye-Fayemi has proposed the establishment of a Panel of Enquiry on Harmful Traditional Practices. I support this call entirely. But I would go even further. Every state in the federation should be compelled to conduct an audit of cultural practices within its borders and identify those that violate the constitutional rights of women. Traditional rulers and religious leaders, who are often the custodians and enforcers of these practices, must be brought into the conversation not as obstacles but as partners in reform.

However, we must also be honest about what is fuelling the Ozoro-type impunity. Male entitlement, youth unemployment, drug abuse, and the toxic amplification of social media have created a generation of young men who believe women exist for their ‘enjoyment’. The hoodlums who descended on those women and girls in Ozoro did not suddenly become monsters during a festival. They were monsters already. The festival simply gave them a cover. Any serious intervention must address the structural conditions that produce such men, even as it dismantles the cultural alibis they exploit.

I am aware that raising these issues invites the predictable accusation of ‘cultural imperialism’. Which is why I must state very clearly that I believe in our cultures and traditions. History teaches that no political order can endure without effective symbols that project the values and beliefs of the people. The issue in contention is that there are practices that might have been acceptable in the past, but which are no longer sustainable. What has become clear from the sexual and physical molestation of women during the ‘Alue-Do’ festival in Ozoro Kingdom is the conflict between a traditional observance and the fundamental rights of citizens in a secular modern state. The point here is not in committing cultural suicide, but rather how to do away with practices that are counterproductive to the health of our society.

As I have argued before, traditions were never meant to be static. They evolve with the times. In advanced societies, the practices that endure are those that serve the common good, promote social harmony, and uphold human dignity. The ones we are discussing today, the use of festivals as cover for sexual violence, do not represent the best of who we are. And we must have the courage to say so plainly, and discard it. No religion, culture, or tradition should be used as a tool to persecute women from one generation to the next. But beyond what happened in Ozoro, we must also deal with the issue of rape which is prevalent. This is compounded by the fact that our society has chosen to criminalise the victims who often suffer in silence, making it very easy for culprits to get away.

I have written several columns on this vexatious issue. My 22nd September 2011 column illustrated this point with a real-life story of a gang of armed robbers who invaded the home of a wealthy family in Lagos. After dispossessing them of cash and valuables, they also decided to rape the women, including a young lady whose wedding was only two weeks away. Done with their despicable act, the robbers left as the violated bride-to-be began to wail. But the mother, who was equally raped, told her to keep quiet: “Why are you crying? You want to draw attention to yourself? Nothing happened! What did I say? I said nothing happened because your wedding must go on.”

I remembered that story last Friday night. At Heathrow airport in London on my way back to Abuja, one of the books I picked up was ‘Shame Has to Change Sides: A Hymn to Life’, by Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose husband of 50 years had been drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape his own wife at their home while filming. I read the book on the flight and it was torturing. It is an act of uncommon courage for Pelicot to use her horrific experience to shed light on how sexual violence can occur even within supposedly loving families. Shame, as she argued, must be pushed to the culprits not the victims. That message will serve us in Nigeria where victims shy away from drawing attention to their pain because of the stigma that follows reporting such incidences, even at the police station.

I am delighted that the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, has waded in on the Ozoro matter. She has demonstrated over the years that she stands with Nigerian women on matters like this and I crave the indulgence of readers to digress here with a personal experience to buttress my point. Early in 2020, I was the subject of a barrage of online attacks over the content of a blurb in my book, ‘NAKED ABUSE: Sex for Grades in African Universities’. While I took the blurb (two out of ten paragraphs) from an online statement by the African Feminist Initiative (AFI) and names of signatories on grounds of Fair Use and proper attribution, I was made to understand that not securing their permission undermined the concept of consent, which is a key message of the book.

Fortunately, the 5,000 copies printed were yet to be distributed for sale at the time. So, I distributed them free to 14 universities and 13 NGOs involved in the area of combating sexual violence against women and girls, with each of these institutions receiving between 100 and 400 copies. I also removed any reference to the AFI statement in subsequent editions. And for the sake of transparency, in my column on Ist October 2020, I listed how I shared copies of the book. I also sent copies to all the female federal lawmakers and ministers.

Two weeks later, I received a letter from Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Not only had she (Mrs Tinubu) read the book, but she also highlighted its significance in a long message where she thanked me for adding my voice to the issue. She remains the second person, after the late Comrade Uche Chukwumerije, who would send me a very thoughtful letter based on the content of my book—as distinct from the perfunctory, ‘I acknowledge the receipt of your book…’ bla bla bla messages which I also get from time to time. I still cherish Mrs Tinubu’s presence of mind, especially coming from someone I had never (still haven’t) personally encountered. Now that she is in a position of influence, I believe she can make a difference on the Ozoro lawlessness by nudging the governor of Delta (which happens to be her ancestral state) to set up an enquiry. She can also encourage other governors to pay special attention to the abusive practices against women that are hidden behind the convenient veil of ‘tradition’ in their states.

At the end, it is incumbent on all of us to address the larger issue of cultural practices that target women. Every society makes choices about what it carries into the future and what it discards. The wisdom of Baba Kekere’s community in Ekiti State, where the elders decided that no tradition was worth the blood of anyone, must become the guiding principle for every community in this country. Now, the question is not whether we must reform many of our traditions. The question is how many more women must be stripped, shamed, mutilated, and mourned before we summon the will to do so. Enough, as they say, is Enough!

11 Soldiers, Police officer killed in Kebbi ambush by Lakurawa terrorists

No fewer than 11 soldiers and a police officer have reportedly been killed in an ambush by gunmen the Giro Masa community, Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The attack occurred on Tuesday night when security operatives, believed to have been operating in the area for some time, traced the gunmen to a construction company yard.

Following a tip-off, it was learnt that soldiers were dispatched to secure the site but were ambushed along the way. The police officer and soldiers lost their lives in the attack and two military trucks were set on fire.

The Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, visited the accident and emergency unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Birnin Kebbi, where the victims were admitted.

Speaking to journalists after the visit, the Governor described the incident as unfortunate and barbaric.

He assured residents that the state government would cover the medical bills of the injured and provide support to the families of the deceased security personnel.

He said, “Everybody knows that the Kebbi State Government doesn’t play with security issues. We are here; we have seen things by ourselves. And we have directed the CMD (Chief Medical Director) of the hospital to ensure they do the needful for those who are receiving treatment.

“And at the same time, for those who lost their lives, the government of Kebbi will do everything possible to assist the family. It is a great loss and it is a very sad situation. But we have to accept what has happened in good faith.

“These are the soldiers who are protecting the lives of Kebbi residents, yet they found themselves in this situation. The Kebbi State Government will not relent in its efforts to protect the lives of its citizens.

“We have sympathy for the 11 soldiers and one police officer who lost their lives while on a rescue mission,” he said.

The governor described the Lakurawa group as callous and assured that the state government would support security efforts. He also promised to meet with the Chief of Defence Staff in Abuja over the incident.

“We will replace the two operational vehicles burned by the bandits,” he added.
Idris commended the military officers for their efforts and urged them to remain steadfast.

“I thank the military for doing their best and being alive to their responsibility. This incident should not make you relax; continue to show professionalism,” he charged the soldiers.” Daily Trust.