Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

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…

The Imo State Governor and Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, has called on the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Service, to intensify on investigation of suspected hackers of the Joint Administration and Monitoring Board’s website. He made the call in a statement on Saturday while commending the security operatives for the arrest of the suspects. JAMB experienced glitches in its website in the last examination, which affected the results of more than 370,000 students, mostly from the southeast. The police and the DSS on Friday announced the arrest of 20 suspects over the…

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has assured his supporters that he will contest the 2027 general election on the party’s platform. He gave the assurance while speaking to a group of young supporters in a 7-minute, 16-second video circulating on the party’s WhatsApp platform on Saturday. Obi explained to his audience that what appears to be an internal crisis in the two dominant opposition political parties – the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, – has the government’s imprint written all over them. In response to a question on…

Harvard sued the Trump administration on Friday over its move to block the prestigious university from enrolling and hosting foreign students in a broadening dispute, a court filing showed. On Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign nationals, throwing the future of thousands of students into doubt. President Donald Trump is furious at Harvard — which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners — for rejecting his demand that it submit to oversight on admissions and hiring over his claims that it is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology. His administration has already…