Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Osun State chapters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party have traded words over the aborted defection plan of Governor Ademola Adeleke. The APC said Adeleke was rejected because he would be a liability and would hurt the integrity of the party. But the PDP, which insisted it would not join issues with the opposition party, said Osun people would decide and defend their votes in 2026. The spokesperson for Osun APC, Kola Olabisi, in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Wednesday, recalled that a caucus in the Osun PDP, in a communique signed by Adeleke…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, CFR has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, describing him as a leader whose legacy extended beyond infrastructure development. Speaking during a Valedictory Session of the House of Representatives for the late President on Wednesday, Kalu alongside his colleagues eulogized Buhari, saying he was an embodiment of integrity. The Deputy Speaker also highlighted Buhari’s diligence, discipline, and selflessness as qualities that have left a lasting impact on Nigerians, regardless of their background. Kalu prayed for the continued repose of Buhari’s soul. He said: “I…

Members of the Osun State House of Assembly have dispelled the rumour that some of them have concluded plans to join the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. There were insinuations that the nine lawmakers from the Ife/Ijesa Senatorial District would join their federal counterparts to leave the PDP for the APC. Speaking with newsmen at the parliamentary session in the Assembly complex, the Speaker, Hon. Adewale Egbedun, said the 25 PDP lawmakers are not for sale and stand with Governor Ademola Adeleke. His words, “We the Honourable Members are men of honour. We are not for sale.…

The United States has announced its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Tammy Bruce, state department spokesperson, said the US communicated its decision to the UN agency on Tuesday, citing non-alignment with America’s interest. “UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy,” Bruce said in a statement. “UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy,…

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed says he will consider running for president in 2027 if Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, decides not to contest. Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate in 2023, made the comment on Tuesday during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television. He said his interest in the race would depend not just on Obi’s decision, but also on whether another unnamed political figure from the south chooses to step aside. Baba-Ahmed, however, noted that the presidency is not a desperate pursuit for him. He reaffirmed his support…

Three members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday announced their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), further weakening the main opposition party’s presence in the lower chamber. The defectors are Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro (Ife Federal Constituency, Osun State), Omirin Emmanuel Olusanya (Atakunmosa/Ilesa Federal Constituency, Osun State), and Markus Onobun (Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, Edo State). Onobun, who was the only PDP lawmaker from Edo State in the 10th Assembly, said he was leaving the party due to persistent internal crises. He added that his decision followed…

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has condemned what it called the “glaring exclusion” of qualified persons from the South-East and South-South in recent Federal Government appointments to the boards and top management of key strategic parastatals, including the Bank of Industry and other national agencies. The apex Igbo body warned that the pattern reflected “a gross compromise of national equity and the principles of Federal Character as enshrined in the constitution.” In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, Ohanaeze said the affected agencies are “frontline drivers of national reforms and economic reinvigoration” and, therefore, must reflect Nigeria’s…

The wife of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Judith Amaechi, has denied allegations that she received N4bn monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission as alleged by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Speaking through her media aide, Dr Dike Bekwele, in a statement on Tuesday, Mrs Amaechi challenged Wike to make public his version of the forensic audit report on the NDDC, where either she or her non-governmental organisation, Empowerment Support Initiative, was indicted. Wike, in an interview on Channels Television, had alleged that Mrs Amaechi was receiving N4bn monthly from the interventionist agency…

The suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, says she will approach the appellate court for interpretation of the legal impasse between her and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. Akpoti-Uduaghan made this known while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday after being refused entrance into the National Assembly Complex by security personnel. The suspended senator had on Tuesday defied a heavy security blockade and arrived at the national assembly complex on foot from the MOPOL gate, accompanied by a crowd of supporters. The lawmaker, whose suspension by the senate is being contested in court, parked her…

The Senate on Tuesday approved President Bola Tinubu’s external borrowing plan of over $21 billion for the 2025–2026 fiscal cycle, paving the way for the full implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act. The comprehensive borrowing package includes $21.19bn in direct foreign loans, €4bn, ¥15bn, a $65m grant and domestic borrowing through government bonds totalling approximately ₦757bn. Also included was a provision to raise up to $2bn through a foreign-currency-denominated instrument in the domestic market. The approval followed the presentation of a report by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, Senator Aliyu Wamako, who noted that…