Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The controversy surrounding the trial of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu deepened on Monday after President Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, called for disciplinary action against Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, for participating in a protest demanding his client’s release. Ejimakor, known for his legal activism, joined a protest in Abuja demanding the release of the detained IPOB leader. The protest, reportedly led by activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore, held near the Federal High Court and drew a small but vocal crowd. But Onanuga, who serves as the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, didn’t find…

In what many are calling a major win in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight, Vice President Kashim Shettima says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered more than ₦500 billion worth of assets since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into power. The VP made this known on Monday while speaking at a high-level judicial workshop in Abuja, attended by top judges and justices across the country. The event, jointly organised by the EFCC and the National Judicial Institute, focused on strengthening the judiciary’s role in tackling financial crimes. According to Shettima, what’s driving these results is the administration’s clear stance:…

Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has said that he is not in support of Biafra’s separatist agenda. Speaking during a live interview on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, the former CBN governor said while he identifies fully as an Igbo man, he does not believe secession is the way forward. Instead, Soludo is calling for constructive dialogue with Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), once he is released from detention. “I am of the view that the Igbo man needs Nigeria; Nigeria needs the Igbo man,” Soludo said. With political tensions rising in the South-East…

Former Nigerian Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has been named the head of ECOWAS’ election observation mission to Côte d’Ivoire, where presidential polls are set to hold on October 25. The announcement, made by the regional bloc on Sunday, comes at a time of growing political tension in the Francophone West African nation. The ECOWAS team, which includes respected personalities from across the region, will be on ground from October 19 to 29 to ensure the election is free, fair, and peaceful. Côte d’Ivoire’s democracy is once again being tested. The country’s 83-year-old President, Alassane Ouattara, is seeking a controversial…

The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied fresh rumours making rounds that it’s trying to lure Governor Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into defecting. According to the party, not only are the reports false, but they are also part of a coordinated misinformation campaign aimed at distracting the public from the PDP’s internal failures. “At no time did the Zamfara APC approach Governor Dauda or the PDP about defection. We’re not even thinking about it,” the APC’s state publicity secretary, Alhaji Yusuf Idris, stated in a press release on Sunday. The rumour…

The Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has described former Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, as a rare leader who gave room for free speech and respected opposition voices while in power. Speaking through a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, on the occasion of Ikpeazu’s 61st birthday, Kalu showered praises on the former governor for creating a peaceful atmosphere during his administration. “Ikpeazu’s government accommodated opposing views and upheld the principles of free speech, allowing critics to express themselves without fear of persecution,” Kalu said. Kalu, who also hails from Abia…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR, says investing in people is the surest way to grow Nigeria’s economy and unlock Africa’s digital future. Speaking at SMFest 2025 in Owerri , a global conference that inspires young people to use technology and innovation to grow their businesses, Kalu said that building the skills and knowledge of citizens directly drives innovation, productivity, and national development. He commended the convener, Ajah Excel, and the SMFest team for their visionary work, which he said has empowered thousands of young Nigerians to turn passion into purpose and…

The Abia State Government has dismissed viral claims suggesting that Governor Alex Otti issued a threat ahead of the 2027 elections, clarifying that his recent “write your will” remark was purely figurative and not meant to intimidate or incite. Governor Otti had stirred controversy during a media parley last Thursday when he warned political actors allegedly planning to rig the next governorship poll to rethink their strategy. What got tongues wagging, however, was his choice of words: “If they truly want to write results, they should write something else before that time. You know what it is? Their will.” Social…

The political atmosphere in Ilorin, Kwara State, took a dramatic turn on Saturday as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) officially opened its state secretariat and used the event to fire serious shots at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking at the launch, former Osun State Governor and National Secretary of the ADC, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, accused the APC of mismanaging the country and weaponizing power against opposition voices. “Under the current administration, hunger has taken over the land. Governance has been reduced to personal enrichment and political intimidation,” he said. Aregbesola, who once served as Nigeria’s Minister of Interior…

Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has declared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the “angel” sent by God to rebuild Nigeria, backing his bold economic reforms and vision for a new Nigeria. Speaking on Saturday at a rally in Lokoja, organised to endorse both President Tinubu and Kogi Governor Usman Ododo, Bello urged Nigerians to stop waiting for a miracle and instead rally behind Tinubu’s administration. “We will not wait for God to send an angel with wings to fly into Nigeria to fix it,” Bello told a cheering crowd. “The angel is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” The rally, aired…