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Crisis hits Obi’s LP faction as BoT sacks NWC

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A fresh leadership crisis has erupted in the Labour Party, deepening the rift within the camp aligned with former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, following the sack of the Senator Nenadi Usman–led interim National Working Committee by the party’s Board of Trustees and a quorum of the statutory National Executive Council.

The dissolution of the iNWC was disclosed in a leaked statement jointly signed by the party’s BoT Chairman, S.O. Ejiofor, and Secretary, Salisu Mohammed, respectively, dated December 2, 2025.

Ejiofor insisted that the decision was taken after months of “gross incompetence,” failure to organise congresses, and alleged acts capable of plunging the party into “irreparable oblivion” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As part of the shake-up, the party leadership reappointed Prince Tony Akeni as acting National Publicity Secretary and Nwauwa Nnawuihie as acting National Secretary, pending the constitution of a fresh interim National Working Committee in line with the party’s constitution.

“The Board of Trustees and statutory National Executive Council quorum of the Labour Party of Nigeria stand by the dissolution of the Senator Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha-led interim National Working Committee of the party as officially communicated to the dissolved committee in the party’s letter of December 3, 2025,” he said.

The statement traced the crisis to the September 4, 2024 appointment of the Nenadi committee in Umuahia, Abia State, with a 90-day mandate to conduct nationwide state congresses and a national convention in line with a 2018 consent judgment and an INEC-brokered settlement.

According to the party, the committee not only failed to meet the deadline but also failed to deliver after an additional 90-day extension granted on July 18, 2025, which expired on October 17, 2025 “without even a single ward congress achieved throughout the country.”

The leadership further accused the dissolved iNWC of presiding over a period in which the Labour Party was excluded by INEC from local government elections, by-elections and upcoming polls, leading to mass defections and organisational paralysis.

“During the same period under the sleepwalking leadership of the Usman-led committee, LP was brazenly excluded by INEC from participating in all local council elections, state and National Assembly by-elections throughout Nigeria during the outgoing year 2025,” the statement added.

However, the factional chairman swiftly rejected the dissolution, setting the stage for a renewed legal and political battle.

Reacting, Usman’s media aide, Ken Asogwa, dismissed the BoT action as unconstitutional and legally untenable.

“Dissolved by who? The BoT or the NLC? With all your experience covering political parties, have you seen where BoT dissolved a constituted National Working Committee of a political party before?” Asogwa asked.

He insisted that only the NEC and a National Convention have the powers to dissolve a National Working Committee.

“The only two organs of a political party, including the Labour Party, that have the capacity to dissolve a National Working Committee are the NEC and the National Convention,”he argued.

Asogwa also questioned the legitimacy of the letters announcing and retracting the dissolution, saying, “That is assuming without conceding that it’s coming from the BoT because there are two contradictory letters here.”

On claims that the crisis could be resolved internally, he said, “There’s nothing to resolve here. The people we have problems with are Julius Abure and his camp and the Supreme Court has finally resolved that matter in our favour.”

He maintained that Nenadi remains the authentic national chairman of the party.

“So, Nenadi remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party by reason of the NEC appointment and the Supreme Court judgment,” he said.

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, dismissed the existence of factions and ridiculed the authority of the BoT behind the dissolution.

“My initial response is that you can’t place something on nothing. But in truth, we don’t have any faction,” Ifoh said, adding that the so-called BoT “has not been constituted” by the party.

“What you see playing out is the BoT that belongs to the Nigeria Labour Congress. The NLC has become a government organisation that now appoints a BoT for a political party,” he said.

When asked to respond to allegations that Abure loyalists had infiltrated and fuelled the crisis, Ifoh fired back:“How do we infiltrate them? Do we have the money that they have? The Labour Party is intact. We have only one leader.”

He added: “These guys (Nenadi and members of the BoT) are just distractions. So, we really do not have their time. They are amusing themselves and bastardising what democracy stands for.”

The factional spokesman described the latest development as vindication of their long-held position that the Nenadi-led arrangement was illegal and unsustainable, mocking the unfolding crisis as proof that the party’s troubles were self-inflicted.

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Reps minority whip resigns from PDP

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The Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Ali Isa, on  Tuesday, resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing internal crisis and alleged undemocratic practices within the party.

In a resignation letter April 14, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of Kindiyo Ward in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State, Isa said his decision takes immediate effect.

He stated that his exit was “compelled by the way and manner some undemocratic forces have hijacked the party for reasons that are contrary to the founding principles and philosophy of the party, which created a factional leadership.”

The lawmaker, who represents Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency, said he took the decision after wide consultations with key stakeholders.

“After a series of rigorous consultations with my family, political associates, friends, and relevant stakeholders, I have arrived at the conclusion that the path to my political future, as well as the political future of the great people who gave me their mandate, lies outside the PDP,” he said.

Isa added that his priority remains the welfare and political future of his constituents, noting that they deserve a more viable platform.

“It is my firm belief that the people of my constituency deserve a platform on which their interests and political future will be better guaranteed,” he stated.

He, however, thanked the PDP for the opportunity to serve.

“I wish to sincerely thank the leadership and membership of the party for giving me the platform on which the people of Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency gave me the wonderful opportunity to represent them at the National Assembly. I will ever remain grateful and wish you all the best,” he added.

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Six months enough to tackle insecurity if FG is serious — Ndume

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Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has said Nigeria’s insecurity can be decisively tackled within six months if the federal government shows sufficient commitment.

Ndume made the assertion on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he expressed concern over renewed violence in the North-East.

According to the lawmaker, ending insecurity requires decisive action, improved military capacity and strong political will.

He said, “It is not about complaining. It is not about asking somebody like me, as a senator, to say why these things. I always believe that if the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria are serious about this, we can end this thing (insecurity) in six months.

“All we need is to train our soldiers, equip them, arm them very well, and then motivate them.”

Ndume also decried the continued loss of military personnel, including senior officers, describing the trend as alarming and indicative of deeper operational challenges. He added that the army is not sufficiently equipped and the morale is down.

Our correspondent  had reported that Brigadier General Oseni Braimah was killed on April 9, 2026, in a midnight attack by terrorists on the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh, Borno State. Also on Monday, a colonel and six soldiers were killed by Boko Haram insurgents the state.

The senator further blamed the worsening security situation on inconsistent implementation of strategies, urging authorities to match words with action.

“We have to be very serious about this matter; we have to walk the talk,” he said.

On foreign support, Ndume emphasised the need for intelligence, technology and specialised expertise rather than reliance on external forces. He noted that Nigeria lacks adequate drone capacity and called for increased deployment of technology-driven solutions, citing examples from Burkina Faso.

“We have some capable hands on the ground; all they need is equipment, ammunition and motivation. We don’t have enough drones.

“Look at what Burkina Faso is doing; it is technology. We can use it to finish or minimise this within the shortest possible time. If we deploy drones, we have our youths that are specialists and designing it.

“In Borno, if you deploy surveillance cameras, you can see everything that is happening. In these days, you can put up surveillance cameras that can go 100 metres. Once we can escalate our military assets in Borno and everywhere, that will go a long way to reduce our problem.”

Ndume also commended Babagana Zulum for his efforts in stabilising parts of Borno State, noting that the situation would have been worse without his interventions.

“If not for the efforts of Prof Babagana Zulum (the governor) in complementing the efforts of the military in the state, Borno State would have gone down,” he said.

 

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David Mark Files Suit Against INEC Over ADC Leadership

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The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by former Senate President David Mark, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to overturn a decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that removed key party officials from its records.

INEC had, on April 1, deleted the names of Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary from its official website and portal, a move that has deepened the party’s internal crisis.

In a motion filed on April 7 by his counsel, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), Mark urged Justice Emeka Nwite to grant a mandatory injunction compelling INEC to restore the names of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) members pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also asked the court to set aside INEC’s refusal to monitor or attend the ADC’s congresses and convention, arguing that such actions undermine the party’s operations

Specifically, Mark is seeking an order directing INEC to immediately reinstate and maintain the names of himself, Aregbesola, and other members of the National Executive Committee in its official records. He further requested that the court restrain the electoral body from recognising or acting on any rival leadership claims until the case is resolved.

The application follows a March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe. Mark’s legal team argued that the appellate court had ordered all parties to maintain the “status quo ante bellum”—the last uncontested state of affairs before the dispute began.

According to Usman, as of September 2, 2025, when the suit was instituted, Mark was the duly recognised National Chairman of the party, and the leadership structure in question was already in place.

He added that the plaintiff had resigned from his previous position and no longer held any role within the ADC at the time, insisting that INEC’s actions disrupted an already established leadership order.

The court is expected to determine whether to grant the interim reliefs while the substantive case continues.

 

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