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Breaking: Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, is Dead

Breaking: Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, is Dead

The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, is dead.

He died on Sunday at the age of 91.

The revered traditional ruler of ijebuland ascended the throne on April 2, 1960, and reigned for over 64 years, making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Nigerian history.

Announcing his death Sunday evening, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said: “It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the revered Awujale of Ijebuland. Oba Adetona joined his ancestors today, July 13, 2025 at the age of 91 leaving behind a remarkable legacy that has significantly shaped Ijebuland, Ogun State and Nigeria in general.

“It is indeed double sadness that Oba Adetona joined his ancestors the same day that the former President, Muhammadu Buhari died in a London, the United Kingdom.

Details shortly

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Tinubu Mouns Buhari, Orders Flags flown at Half Mast

Tinubu Mouns Buhari, Orders Flags flown at Half Mast

.Tinubu Speaks with widow, Aisha, expresses deep condolences

.Directs Shettima to proceed to UK to accompany body back home

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has announced the passing of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari died on Sunday in London at about 4.30 pm, following a prolonged illness.

According to a release issued by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu has spoken with the former President’s widow, Aishat Buhari and offered his deep condolences.

The President has also ordered Vice President Kashim Shettima to proceed to the United Kingdom to accompany President Muhammadu Buhari’s body back to Nigeria.

President Tinubu has ordered flags at half-mast as a mark of respect for the departed leader.

Former President Buhari, whoo was twice elected Nigeria’s President in 2015 and 2023 also served as military head of state between January 1984 and August 1985.

The Buhari family had earlier announced the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari’s age long spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, who disclosed this in a release stated, inter alia:

“INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHIRRAJIUUN.

“The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London.

“May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus, Amin.”

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• July 10, 2025
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S’ Court Affirms Okpebholo’s Election as Edo Governor 

S’ Court Affirms Okpebholo’s Election as Edo Governor 

Alex Enumah in Abuja 

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as Governor of Edo State.

The five-member panel, in a unanimous judgment, held that the appellant failed to prove allegations of non-compliance, as well as claim that Okpebholo did not win lawful votes cast during the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, who read the lead judgment, stated that the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal were in order in dismissing the case of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo, for lacking in merit.

Details later…

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New Horizons Nigeria Gets Global Recognition at AFRIBIS Summit

New Horizons Nigeria Gets Global Recognition at AFRIBIS Summit

New Horizons Nigeria, the largest training organisation in technology education and capacity building, has been honored with the ‘Most Innovative IT Training and Certification Solution Brand of the Year’ award at the African Brand Innovators Summit (AFRIBIS) 2025.

This recognition celebrates 20 years of New Horizons Nigeria’s outstanding commitment to developing globally competitive digital talents across the country. With a mission deeply rooted in digital empowerment, New Horizons Nigeria has consistently pioneered innovative IT training and certification solutions tailored for students, graduates, institutions, and professionals.

AFRIBIS in her citation commended New Horizons Nigeria for the robustness of her content, the hands-on methodology in training, and the company’s focus on linking their trainees with Job opportunities through free internships work. New Horizons Nigeria is the country’s foremost ICT training and certification company that offers cutting-edge skills development in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Engineering, Cybersecurity, Data Analysis, Cloud Computing, Full Stack software development, Digital Marketing, Project Management and more. With partnerships across global IT certification bodies, New Horizons is committed to raising a new generation of tech-savvy leaders for Africa.

Pleased with the award, the Managing Director, New Horizons Nigeria, Mr. Tim Akano, stated that the institute aimed to equip the next generation of African leaders with globally relevant digital skills that drive innovation, boost competitiveness, and foster transformation.

“New Horizons Nigeria remains dedicated to bridging the digital divide, transforming education through technology, and creating opportunities for young Africans to become key players in the global innovation ecosystem. In its twenty years of existence, New Horizons Nigeria has empowered over two million young Nigerians. The organisation and the CEO  has won close to 300 national, Continental and international awards in technology and youth empowerment categories,” Akano said.

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Bloomberg: Naira Breaks Away from Oil as Confidence in FG’s Reforms Grows

Bloomberg: Naira Breaks Away from Oil as Confidence in FG’s Reforms Grows

•Appreciates to N1540/$ on parallel market

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and NumeEkeghe in Lagos with agency report

The Naira appears to be breaking away from the price of oil, the nation’s main foreign-exchange earner, a mark of growing confidence in the nation’s economy.

This was as the naira gained marginally on the parallel market yesterday to close at N1,540 to a dollar, stronger than the N1560 to a dollar it closed the previous day.

On the other hand, the nation’s currency however depreciated marginally to close yesterday at N1,530.50 to a dollar on the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), compared with the N1,528 to a dollar it closed the previous day.

The naira has traded within a relatively narrow band of N1,520/$ to N1,565/$ on the official window over the past month, while on the parallel market it hovered above N1,600 for much of June.

However, since the beginning of July, the currency has appreciated, trading below the N1,600 threshold on the parallel market.

This, analysts noted, reflects a period of relative calm in the foreign exchange market, supported by improved forex  liquidity and the gradual reactivation of naira debit cards for international transactions by several commercial banks.

President Bola Tinubu’s currency reforms have marked one of the most significant shifts in Nigeria’s economic policy in recent years. Upon taking office, Tinubu moved quickly to unify the country’s multiple exchange rates, effectively dismantling the long-standing system of parallel currency markets.

According to Bloomberg, the bold step was aimed at creating transparency, improve investor confidence, and curb the arbitrage that had distorted the foreign exchange landscape for years.

In addition to unifying the exchange rate, the government allowed the naira to float more freely, letting market forces determine its value. This move, though initially leading to volatility and a sharp depreciation of the currency, was seen by many as a necessary correction to years of artificial support.

It also sent a strong signal to investors and international financial institutions that Nigeria was committed to economic reform. To support the new policy direction, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) began clearing forex backlogs, tightening monetary policy, and taking steps to stabilise inflation.

But after some initial volatility in the first half, the naira stabilised even as oil prices fell,  a Bloomberg News report said yesterday.

Analysts from Deutsche Bank AG to Cardinal Stone expect the Nigerian currency to end the year near N1,556 per dollar — its average exchange rate in the first six months of 2025 after it slumped 41 per cent in 2024. It traded around 1,530 on Tuesday, largely flat on a year-to-date basis, the Bloomberg report added.

The change in the naira’s fortunes could also be attributed to its undervaluation, higher non-oil exports and lower import demand, Chief Investment Officer at Emerging Markets Investment Management Ltd. in London,  Ayo Salami said.

The currency is trading below its fair value based on purchasing power parity, he stressed.

A steady naira will offer relief to businesses after its steep losses in the prior two years caused by the central bank’s decision to allow it to trade more freely against the dollar, Bloomberg said.

The naira’s stability has also been helped by a weakening US dollar, which is down more than 10 per cent this year, and less dependency on imported refined products.

Besides, Africa’s richest person, AlikoDangote, commissioned a 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery that turned Nigeria into a net exporter of the refined products. Foreign-exchange reforms and investors’ scramble for investments outside the US have also benefited Nigerian assets, leading to increased dollar inflows.

A Bloomberg index for local bond performance is at a record high and has returned 19 per cent this year, its best first-half performance since December 2020. The gauge for emerging-market local debt has returned 12 per cent in the period. Stocks in the West African nation are up 18 per cent this year.

“The NGN has become more correlated with global risk conditions,” said the head of Africa strategy at Standard Chartered Plc, Samir Gadio stressed.

“Risk conditions have since improved materially; this has supported renewed portfolio flows into Nigeria debt even with oil prices currently below $70 per barrel,” Gadio explained.

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Damagum to Disloyal PDP Members: Leave Our Party Now

Damagum to Disloyal PDP Members: Leave Our Party Now

ChuksOkocha in Abuja

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, issued a stern warning to members involved in anti-party activities, declaring zero tolerance for disloyalty ahead of the upcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.

The warning was delivered during a certificate presentation ceremony held at the PDP FCT secretariat, where candidates for the local council polls received their official nominations.

Speaking on behalf of PDP National Chairman Umar Damagum, the party’s North-central Vice Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, outlined the consequences of party disloyalty.

“Any misbehaviour, the party will no longer tolerate it. If anyone feels they are not ready for this task, they should step aside immediately so that we can replace them without delay,” he stated.

Damagum added that any member found engaging in double standards or collaborating with other parties would face disciplinary action.

“We now have functional disciplinary committees at the state and local government levels. If anyone is caught campaigning or organising with other political parties, it will be treated as anti-party activity and they will be disciplined,” he warned.

On preparations for the elections, Damagum assured the people that PDP would protect its votes.

“Nobody will tamper with our election. By God’s grace, we will be at our polling units, ensure the votes are counted, and make sure the rightful winners are announced,” he added.

Speaking at the event, also, FCT PDP Chairman, IsmailaDogara, called for unity among party members, urging leaders to put past differences behind them and work together for victory.

Chair of PDP Reconciliation Committee in the FCT, Hassan Sokedebo, took a swipe at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming their internal problems are greater than those of PDP.

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ADC: Tinubu’s Failure Behind US’ Snub

ADC: Tinubu’s Failure Behind US’ Snub

APC: ADC is  ‘Mortally Wounded’

•Mark declares party has no preferred presidential choice, pledges transparency

•Lukman: Coalition won’t handover structures to Atiku, Obi, Amaechi, others, says DumebiKachikwu long expelled

•Idris: Coalition backers bias over alleged reforms stagnation

ChuksOkocha, OlawaleAjimotokanandAdedayoAkinwalein Abuja

African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said Nigeria was not invited to White House trade talks because of President Bola Tinubu’s economic failure,  stressing that under the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership, the country has gone from leading the continent to being left out entirely.

ADC made the assertion in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, MallamBolajiAbdullahi.

That was as the party’s Interim National Chairman, Senator David Mark, assured that under his leadership, ADC would be “absolutely transparent”.

Similarly, former Director General of All Progressives Congress Governors’ Forum, and one of the arrowheads of the ADC coalition, MallamSalihuLukman, said the structure of the party would not be handed over to any of its members contesting the presidential ticket in 2027.

But the federal government dismissed the individuals behind the coalition against the re-election of Tinubu as elements averse to the sustained focus on the economic progress the country was recording.

APC also said there was no reason for Tinubu or the ruling party to expend valuable time and energy trying to sow confusion within ADC that was already mortally wounded by confusion delivered by its invaders.

The United States government planned to host the presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal for high-level commercial talks at the White House on Wednesday, without extending the invitation to Nigeria.

In a statement by ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, the party emphasised that Nigeria’s exclusion from such high-level economic dialogue was a damning international indictment of the Tinubu administration and its sustained economic mismanagement, weak and incoherent diplomacy, and inability to project Nigeria’s strategic importance on the global stage.

According to ADC, “For years, African thought leaders have argued that it was about time that the Western world started to engage with African countries as trade partners rather than as hapless recipients of aid. Finally, an American President has emerged who is cutting aid and promoting trade. But Nigeria is not invited to the table.

“According to the Americans, the three-day meeting, which starts on Wednesday, is convened to explore commercial opportunities that could benefit both American companies and African partners. They said they have invited countries, who have demonstrated ‘the ability, and willingness, to help itself.

“What this means in plain language is that under President Tinubu, Nigeria is no longer taken seriously. Although we are Africa’s largest economy, with the largest consumer market and Africa’s most influential diaspora,  the United States chose to bypass us in favour of nations whose combined GDP is only a fraction of ours.

“With this snub, what the Americans are telling us is that size means nothing without leadership and a demonstrable commitment to efficiency, to transparency and to accountability.”

The statement added, “Only a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable that such meeting would hold without Nigeria. This only shows how low this administration has brought our country in the estimation of the world.

“To add insult onto injury, Nigeria is now being threatened by President Trump with a 10 per cent tariff because of our association with BRICS, which started in January 2025. The ADC is not opposed to BRICS, but we are opposed to Nigeria punching below its weight by playing in the small league.

“Were Nigeria able to provide the leadership that other African countries expect of us, and which we have competently provided in recent past, we would have been invited to that meeting on Wednesday in Washington, and Nigeria would have used the opportunity to push the Africa Union  (AU) position on global trade, especially given that our daughter, NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, sits at the head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

“But under this APC administration, Nigeria is no longer respected even as a regional leader in ECOWAS, as the regional body has shrunk in size and significance under President Tinubu’s leadership.

“Under this APC administration, once the acknowledged leader of the continent, Nigeria has become an afterthought, reduced to playing with back-water countries like St. Lucia, a country with less than 1% of our GDP and a population less than that of a rural local government in Nigeria.

“Yet, our president was able to spend an entire week in that country, for reasons that the government is still struggling to explain. The truth is that APC has not only stalled our economic progress, it has stripped us of the opportunity to sit at the table where real decisions, and real investments that could create jobs boost growth and improve our economy, are being made.

“This is what happens when the government at the centreprioritises politics over performance, and propaganda over progress. As a nation that has led before, and can lead again, we must reject the future the APC seeks to impose on us—one where we are ignored, sidelined, and treated as insignificant. Nigerians must demand better, because Nigeria is too big, too important, and too proud to be left out.”

ADC also accused APC of deceiving Nigerians by using the names of non-ADC members to file a suit against the party and its interim leadership.

The party alleged that the names, which APC used to file their suit were neither in ADC physically nor digital registers in Kogi or Nasarawa State.

ADC state, “It smacks of desperation that a party elected in charge of the lives of no fewer than 200 million people can engage in shopping for the names of its citizens in pursuit of Machiavellian politics.”

National Legal Support Group for ADC expressed its readiness to represent the party in the courts over the matter filed against it and its interim officers.

Making the revelation in Abuja yesterday, leader of the group, Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, said no fewer than 97 Lawyers had indicated their preparedness to stand for ADC.

Mark: ADC Has No Preferred Presidential Candidate

Interim National Chairman of ADC, Senator David Mark, said under his leadership, the party would be “absolutely transparent”.

Reacting to speculations on the choice of its presidential candidate, Mark said, “The ADC has no preferred or favourite presidential aspirant but has set out to first put out a platform that would be attractive and acceptable to majority of Nigerians.

“We are doing this because we do not want this great ship called Nigeria to sink because if we do not rise up, and now, they will sink all of us.” Mark stated this while addressing the stakeholders of the Kogi State chapter of ADC at a meeting in Abuja.

He stated that all the members of the party were “equal stakeholders. Equal joiners, equal owners”.

Mark stated, “I don’t own this party more than any of our members and I urge all members to prepare to show Nigerians that ADC is a different party. A different party that is ready to properly run democracy in our country. All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC.”

He urged members to put their differences aside and work as a team, adding, “We must bond together to build the party before we can talk of ambitions.”

The former senate president charged members of All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop attacking individuals but concentrate on their policy failures, which ADC had raised.

He said, “If they admitted that insecurity is bad and they promised Nigerians that they would improve on it but have made it worse, would Nigerians continue to support them? The answer is No. Let us continue to work to rebuild our nation and bring out her best in the overall interest of the future generations.”

Lukman: Coalition Won’t Hand Party over to Atiku, Obi, Amaechi, Others

Former Director-General of APC Governors’ Forum, and one of the leaders of ADC, MallamSalihuLukman, revealed that the ADC structure would not be handed over to any member of the party contesting the presidential ticket in 2027.

Prominent among those believed to be aspiring for the presidential ticket of ADC are former Vice President AtikuAbubakar, former Governor Peter Obi, and former Governor ChibuikeAmeachi.

Speaking on a television programme, Jigsaw, Tuesday, in Abuja, Lukman said the plan was to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party would be strong enough and could regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions.

According to him, “The coalition didn’t go into this arrangement (ADC) with our eyes closed, desperate to have a political party. We took our time. We didn’t negotiate with just one individual, we negotiated with the whole leadership.

“What we are telling everybody in the coalition is that the structures of the party will not be handed over to aspiring candidates.

“We have to build the structures of the party in such a way that the party is strong enough and can regulate the conduct of everybody, not just aspiring candidates, but even elected representatives when they win office and assume positions.”

On how the coalition cleared all the legal crisis before the unveiling, he said, “I can tell you that we opened a negotiation with a wide range of parties. And we went through processes including conducting legal due diligence on the status of both the leadership and if there are any pending litigation that were there. And in the process, we were able to also check with INEC and get all the substantive issues.

“I can tell you, some of the issues being raised in the public about some of the litigation. There are issues which, even by INEC record, if you go there, you’ll find out that they have been resolved long ago. At a point, we even had to sit down with all the members, in fact more than once, all the members of the National Working Committee of ADC.

“So I want to make it very clear and if you check with INEC, you’ll find out that even the DumebiKachukuhu, who came out to make noise, by the record, of INEC, based on the certified true copies of proceedings of organs, legitimate organs of the ADC, DumebiKachukwu and some others, I think about 15 of them, have been expelled from the party. I can’t remember exactly when. So, we didn’t go into this blindly.

“And we were very clear that we were in a very safe ground. And proceeding further, we are not supplanting the leadership of ADC. We have accepted to work with them as partners, they are stakeholders.

“And I’m sure in not too distant time from now, the interim leadership of the party led by Senator David Mark, and Aregbesola will release possible guidelines to guide the position at the state level, and how the whole reorganisation of the structures of the party will proceed.

“So, I want to make it very clear, we are not approaching this activity based on the conventional process of just going to hijack a structure and begin organise it in such a way we produce candidate and this led me to the critical point and I think we have to continue to talk to ourselves as members of the coalition we came this far largely because we have appealed to all our leaders to please suspend expression of their ambition until we are able to build structures.”

FG Blasts Coalition Backers for Bias over Alleged Stagnation of Reforms

The federal government dismissed the power blocs in support of the emerging coalition against the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027 as elements with a predilection against the sustained focus on the economic progress the country was recording. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this yesterday in a statement in light of the political discourse ahead of the 2027 election.

He said the Tinubu administration remained undeterred, focused, and committed to building a more prosperous Nigeria for all and would not be drawn into distractions engineered by those who would prefer stagnation over reform.

Idris reaffirmed that Tinubu was committed to the core mandate of his administration, which was delivering meaningful reforms and real economic growth for the Nigerian people, rather than being bogged by distraction of coalition by some political big wigs in the country.

While asserting the right of all Nigerians to freely exercise their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of association and of speech, the minister stressed that the Tinubu administration would not be provoked by politicking or political distractions.

Idris said, “The clamour in the media about the emergence of a new political ‘coalition’ is understandable, but Nigerians entrusted President Tinubu with a bold and transformative mandate, anchored in the Renewed Hope agenda.

“In just two years, this vision has already begun yielding tangible results. Crude oil theft has plummeted, investor confidence in the oil and gas sector is rebounding, inflation is easing, the Naira is stabilising, security challenges are being confronted head-on, and millions of Nigerians—households, students, artisans, small business owners—are benefitting from initiatives such as student loans, access to consumer credit, CNG vehicle conversions, and improved government services and infrastructure.”

The minister recalled that Tinubu recently signed into law four ground-breaking tax reform bills, marking one of the most ambitious fiscal overhauls in the country’s history.

He added that the reforms that were set to be implemented from 2026, would significantly boost prosperity for households and businesses nationwide.

Idris said, “Just before then, the President commissioned the single largest mechanisation drive ever undertaken in Nigeria’s history—marking the launch of the Renewed Hope Agricultural MechanisationProgramme.

“This is just one of several high-impact agricultural mechanisation programs being undertaken to guarantee food security.”

APC: Tinubu Won’t Give Valuable Time to Confusion in Mortally Wounded ADC

APC said there was no reason for Tinubu or the ruling party to spend valuable time and energy trying to sow confusion within ADC, a party it said was already mortally wounded by confusion delivered by its invaders.

National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, in a statement, said ADC was unsurprisingly trudging the beaten path of lies and deception, like opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).

Citing “credible intelligence”, ADC had claimed that state chairmen in the North-east and North-west zones of the country were summoned to a “secret meeting with officials of the federal government”, in a plot to intimidate and coerce the opposition coalition.

But Morka stated, “Beyond the rash of poorly imagined accusations, the statement did not offer substantiation of any kind. Its vague reference to ‘officials of federal government’ only belies the mischievous intent of its makers to whip up sentiments, manipulate public opinion, and distract Nigerians from the patent hopelessness of their political phishing expedition.

“Otherwise, why is it so impossible for ADC to provide Nigerians the details of the alleged secret meeting at which its senior party officers were coerced and intimidated.  Rather, the party cites nonsensical credible intelligence as basis for its devious allegations.

“Clearly, there was no such meeting, and certainly, no one could have been coerced or intimidated at a meeting that never was. This could have happened only in the warped imagination of masters of deception and marauding invaders of the ADC.”

APC said, “There is no reason for Mr. President or APC to expend valuable time and energy trying to sow confusion within ADC that is already mortally wounded by confusion delivered by its invaders. 

“The ADC needs no help from our great party to unravel as it must from its own internal dissonance, contradictions and discord of self-serving and vainglorious personalities that executed a gestapo-like takeover of the party to the chagrin of bonafide leaders and members of the party.

“The ADC’s statement is just a calculated pre-emptive excuse for its evident ill-fated future of disintegration, like Humpty Dumpty whose great fall could not be put back together again.”

Morka added that the party had placed on public display the incompetence and inability of its leadership to manage its impending internal crisis, in the same way they proved incapable of managing the internal affairs of opposition parties they had plundered serially before ADC.

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South South APC Endorses Tinubu, Govs for Re-election

South South APC Endorses Tinubu, Govs for Re-election

*Akpabio: Region no longer afterthought in national devt

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South geo-political zone has thrown its weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the four incumbent APC governors in the region as sole candidates for the 2027 general election.

This unanimous endorsement came Saturday at the APC South South Stakeholders Meeting held in Benin City, Edo State, according to a statement by the Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media, Jackson Udom.

Leaders of the party, according to the statement, also passed a vote of confidence in Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Zonal Working Committee for their steadfast commitment to the growth of the party in the region.

The meeting, attended by key party stakeholders from across the six South South states, culminated in a communiqué read by the Zonal Chairman, Victor Giadom, affirming the zone’s unflinching support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The stakeholders, it added, commended the President for his administration’s inclusive approach to development,

They noted that the South South is no longer treated as an afterthought in national planning and execution.

Particular praise was extended to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for what was described as his “unalloyed support” for the Tinubu administration and “spectacular performance” in Abuja.

Addressing the gathering, Senate President Akpabio, who also serves as the South South APC leader, urged the region to unite behind Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

His speech, titled “United Vision: Advancing South-South Progress Under President Bola Tinubu,” emphasized the administration’s achievements in infrastructure, energy, education, and economic empowerment.

“Under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the South South is no longer an afterthought in national development,” Akpabio declared.

“The landmark Coastal Highway Project—from Lagos to Calabar—is not just infrastructure; it is an economic game-changer for our region.”

Akpabio highlighted several ongoing initiatives, including the East-West Road rehabilitation, the revival of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, and strategic energy investments such as the Gas Revolution Industrial Park and modular refineries in the Niger Delta.

He also cited the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as a move toward greater community involvement and transparency.

He further listed federal investments in education, social welfare programs, and the roll-out of the Presidential CNG Initiative, all targeted at boosting local economies and improving the quality of life across the region.

“The South South has waited long for inclusive development.

“Today, we are witnessing it unfold. But we must not be weary in well-doing,” he said.

Calling for unity and grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, Akpabio urged stakeholders to “support President Tinubu—not just in words, but in mobilizing our people, enlightening our communities, and defending our future.”

With the APC seeking to consolidate its influence in the South South, the meeting concluded with a resounding pledge from stakeholders to defend the party’s progress and ensure its continued dominance in the region and nationally.

“Let us ensure that the APC remains the party of progress, the party of justice, and the party of the people,” Akpabio concluded.

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Liverpool’s Diogo Jota Dies in Car Crash

Liverpool’s Diogo Jota Dies in Car Crash

Portugal and Liverpool forward, Diogo Jota, has died in a car crash in Spain.
According to reports, the car he was traveling in left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another car, local police source announced on Thursday.
His brother, Andre Silva, also died in the crash.
Jota, 28, married his partner last month – the couple had three children together.
The Portuguese international was a key part of the Liverpool side that won the Premier League last season. He also won the FA Cup and League Cup with the Merseyside outfit.
Spanish state-owned TV station citing local firefighters claimed that Jota died in Zamora in northwestern Spain
Police told Reuters everything pointed to that information being correct, although they could not yet officially confirm the names.
The regional fire department of Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead.
Jota arrived at Anfield from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club in all competitions.
He made 49 appearances for Portugal, winning the UEFA Nations League twice in the process.