Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned members against contemplating defection, vowing to take decisive action against those undermining the party. The Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, made this declaration during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, following the meeting of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC. Damagum, who spoke with newsmen alongside other NWC members, stressed the PDP’s unity and resilience ahead of the 2027 general elections, emphasising that the party remains strong and intact despite internal challenges, urging members to remain loyal and avoid actions that could weaken the PDP from within. “If you are…

The House of Representatives has halted the consideration of all bills originating from the Senate, citing prolonged delays by the upper chamber in giving concurrence to House-passed legislation. The decision followed a motion raised on Wednesday, July 2, after Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda drew attention to the disparity in legislative cooperation between the two chambers. Chinda observed that while the House routinely considers and fast-tracks Senate bills, the Senate has failed to reciprocate, with over 140 bills passed by the House still pending in the red chamber. Speaker of the House, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, confirmed the growing frustration among lawmakers,…

A major political storm is brewing within the opposition coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as key stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have denounced Tuesday’s appointment of former Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s Interim National Secretary. The aggrieved members of the ADC adopted by the coalition, described the process that produced the former minister of interior as an imposition devoid of legitimacy and purely undemocratic. In a hard-hitting press statement issued Wednesday in Abuja, under the banner of ‘Concerned Stakeholders of the ADC,’ the party’s youth and women leaders, ward coordinators and…

Former Senate President David Mark has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing persistent internal divisions, leadership crises, and irreconcilable differences that have reduced the party to a shadow of its former self. In a letter dated June 27 and addressed to the PDP Chairman in his Otukpo Ward, Benue State, Mark lamented the state of the party, which he helped found in 1998, and announced his departure after nearly three decades of loyal membership. “I bring warm greetings to you and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otukpo Ward 1, and by extension, to the entire…

The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has condemned the alleged killing of 13 Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra State, and called for calm and a swift investigation into the matter. According to a statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor, Governor Nwifuru described the killing of the indigenes residing in Ogboji community, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra as shocking. They were allegedly killed during their monthly town union meeting held last Monday. Nwifuru said such an unprovoked attack on law-abiding citizens who were simply holding a community meeting was an affront to humanity and…

The Independent National Electoral Commission is planning to issue a supplementary document to its 2022 Regulations and Guidelines, to clarify procedures for reviewing election results, particularly under Section 65 of the Electoral Act. The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this at the second quarterly consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja on Tuesday. The commission is preparing for a packed electoral calendar, including five major elections within the next 13 months. These include by-elections in 12 states on August 16, 2025; the Anambra State governorship election on November 8, 2025; Area Council elections in the FCT on February…

The President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Theophilus Alaye, has rejected any single-term deal as a condition for the return of suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Alaye said Fubara has the constitutional right to seek re-election and should not be browbeated by any political actor including his predecessor Nyesom Wike into settling for a single term as a condition for his suspension to be lifted by President Bola Tinubu. “The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, is a citizen of Nigeria and by the virtue of the Nigerian Constitution, we believe that the governor has the right to…

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has insisted that no land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children, saying that, “as usual, this sponsored blackmail has failed.” Olayinka, in a statement on Tuesday, said those seeking to blackmail the FCT Minister will need to put more effort, adding that “nothing will stop him from continuing with his developmental efforts in the FCT by President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda. He said, “Last week, it was unfounded and poorly carried out propaganda of…

Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State has declared a state of emergency on the General Hospital Minna, citing the urgent need for a total overhaul of the dilapidated facility. This is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Minna by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Print Media, Aisha Wakaso. Wakaso stated that the governor made the declaration during the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) meeting, noting that the hospital, which was built over 50 years ago, had deteriorated significantly. Bago added that the facility was no longer fit to serve the medical needs of the state’s growing population.…

The lawmaker representing the Cross River North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Agom Jarigbe, has announced a temporary withdrawal from legislative and constituency engagements due to pressing health concerns. In a statement issued on Monday, the senator disclosed that he is currently receiving medical care and, on the advice of doctors, will be away from active duties for a short period. As a result, a widely anticipated endorsement rally scheduled to be held in the coming days has been postponed. The lawmaker emphasised that the decision is in the best interests of his health and the effective representation of…