Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
New Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso on Monday said that he has the energy and excitement to deliver success worthy of the Spanish giants as he was presented as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement. Alonso will lead the team at the Club World Cup this summer and has signed a three-year deal until June 2028, after Ancelotti departed to take charge of the Brazil national team. Madrid failed to win a major trophy this season, losing their La Liga crown to rivals Barcelona, who also beat them in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals. Real were dealt with a…
Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, has withdrawn the bill seeking to make voting compulsory for eligible Nigerians. The bill was co-sponsored by Abbas and Daniel Ago, lawmaker representing Bassa/Jos north federal constituency of Plateau state. On May 15, the bill scaled second reading in the green chamber. Leading the debate, Ago said the proposed legislation seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to tackle the problem of low voter turnout. He said compulsory voting law would increase civic engagement and voter participation, making electoral involvement a legal obligation rather than a personal choice. Ago said the bill,…
Ralph Nwosu, the national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says coalition talks between opposition leaders will be finalised in a few weeks. Some influential members of opposition parties have been spearheading a coalition aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. Recall that opposition leaders are finalising plans to adopt the ADC as the platform to challenge the APC in the 2027 presidential election. Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, Nwosu said the party constituted committees that have met with those involved in the talks, including the civil society organisations (CSOs) and citizens’ groups.…
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has explained why he may not be able to contest for presidency after 2027. He said the 2027 general elections may be his final shot at the presidency. Obi confirmed he would contest in 2027 on the LP’s platform and hinted at a possible exit from active politics after that. He spoke in a seven-minute, 16-second video clip that has since gone viral. Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, confirmed the video saying “it was recent.” Obi explained that he would be 65 in 2027 and might not be willing to…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has postponed its 99th National Executive Committee meeting. In a statement signed by the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the PDP said the NEC was postponed to allow room for the former Senate President Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation committee to carry out its assignment. Recall that the NEC meeting was scheduled to be held on May 27, 2025, at the PDP’s National Secretariat in Abuja. In the notice tagged: “Postponement of the 99th NEC Meeting,” the opposition party stated that a new date will be announced in accordance with the PDP Constitution 2017 as amended…
The Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa has expressed the full commitment of his administration to the successful take-off of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Teaching Hospital, in Akure, the state capital. Governor Aiyedatiwa made the pledge on Sunday while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Health Institutions at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure. Welcoming the committee led by its Chairman, Hon. Patrick Umoh, the Governor disclosed that the state had already ceded one of its specialist hospitals to serve as a temporary facility for the take-off of the federal teaching hospital. According…
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reiterated that May 30th remains Biafra Heroes Day and not Igbo Day, as claimed by some individuals and politicians. In a statement issued on Sunday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB criticized what it called a deliberate distortion of historical facts by “compromised Igbo politicians” and non-Biafrans attempting to rebrand the day for political motives. Titled “May 30 Remains Biafra Heroes Day, Not Igbo Day”, the statement emphasized that Biafra encompasses multiple ethnic nationalities beyond the Igbo, including Annang, Ibibio, Efik, Oron, and Ijaw. “Biafra is larger than any single…
The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has said he has no plan of leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress. According to a statement by Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, Alia, said the report that he was planning to leave APC due to the crisis in the party’s Benue chapter is “laughable and lame.” Kula, in the Sunday statement, said Alia’s loyalty to the APC is not in doubt, adding that there is no form of crisis in the Benue APC. The media aide said Alia has a good working relationship with Benjamin Omale, chairman of Benue APC. The CPS…
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has pulled out of all reconciliation agreements previously reached within the Peoples Democratic Party, accusing key party leaders of betrayal, dishonesty, and serial violations of mutual understandings. In a statement issued on Sunday, Wike traced the roots of the PDP’s internal turmoil to the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, lamenting what he described as a steady decline into “dishonesty and lack of trust amongst its key stakeholders.” “Since after the 2023 General Election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another,” Wike said,…
The National Woman Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Mary Idele Alile, on Friday called for urgent and sustained efforts to increase women’s participation in governance. She spoke when she led a delegation of zonal and state women leaders on a strategic visit to the Federal Ministry of Regional Development in Abuja. Alile lamented the low representation of women in Nigeria’s political landscape, citing that only 4.2% of the 10th National Assembly are women. “This must change,” she declared, urging the Ministry to adopt gender-responsive policies and support platforms that empower women politically and economically. She unveiled the…