Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Rotimi Amaechi, has revealed that the late President Muhammadu Buhari assured him of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket ahead of the party’s 2022 presidential primary.

Amaechi said Buhari’s assurance, which he claimed was communicated to him in writing, influenced his decision not to campaign or engage in political negotiations with delegates and influential party leaders before the primary.

The former Minister of Transportation made the revelation during an interview on Mainland 98.3FM’s The Situation Room programme in Lagos, where he recounted how he lost the APC presidential ticket to President Bola Tinubu in June 2022.

According to him, he considered Buhari’s promise credible because of their relationship and the fact that the former president was his boss.

Recalling the conversation, Amaechi said Buhari had specifically instructed him to suspend his campaign, assuring him that he would publicly announce him as his preferred successor.

“The first mistake that I made at that primary was that I listened to President Buhari. He said to me, ‘Don’t campaign. Don’t do anything. I will announce you as my candidate.’

“He told me that. He put it in writing. When I write my book, I’ll put it out,” he said.

Amaechi admitted that his decision to rely on Buhari’s alleged endorsement rather than building political alliances significantly undermined his chances of clinching the party’s ticket.

He explained that he could have negotiated with governors and other influential APC stakeholders by offering them strategic positions in his proposed administration, including the vice-presidency and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

The former governor suggested that Tinubu capitalised on his failure to engage in such political negotiations to consolidate support ahead of the primary.

“Now, I didn’t do deals. So I would have promised you vice-president, promised you SGF, and then would have gone for this primary, I would have possibly won. I would have had governors on my side.

“Because I didn’t do deals, Tinubu had the chance to do deals,” he added.

Amaechi also accused Tinubu’s camp of deploying religious sentiments to garner support among delegates, particularly in northern Nigeria.

He alleged that a delegation of Yoruba Muslims from the South-West approached governors in the North-West, urging them to support Tinubu on religious grounds.

He further referenced former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, whom he said had initially supported his presidential ambition but later shifted allegiance to Tinubu.

“El-Rufai was my supporter. El-Rufai, in a viral video, said this is done for the faith,” Amaechi recalled.

Despite the allegations, the ADC chieftain maintained that he would not resort to religious mobilisation in seeking votes, arguing that such an approach could threaten national unity and deepen existing divisions.

He said he would not appeal to Nigerians to support his presidential ambition simply because they belonged to the same religious denomination.

Citing the Catholic population in Nigeria as an example, Amaechi said he would not ask the Church to mobilise its members to vote for him on the basis of their shared faith.

“I wouldn’t want to run that kind of federation. Catholics are 35 million in Nigeria. I wouldn’t want to go to the Catholic Church and say, please announce me. Tell them that all Catholics must go out and vote Amaechi.

“It will cause confusion. It will cause problems in the country. That makes me a nationalist,” he said.

At the APC presidential primary held at Eagle Square, Abuja, in June 2022, Tinubu emerged victorious with 1,271 votes, while Amaechi came second with 316 votes.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, has warned staff of the commission against deliberate errors, negligence and administrative failures capable of compromising the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan gave the warning on Friday during an interactive meeting with INEC personnel from the North Central zone in Lokoja, Kogi State, as part of efforts to assess the commission’s level of preparedness for the forthcoming nationwide elections.

He charged electoral officials to uphold professionalism, neutrality, accountability and efficiency, insisting that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised because of poor planning, logistical shortcomings or administrative negligence.

Acknowledging the security and geographical challenges confronting the commission, particularly in difficult terrains, the INEC chairman maintained that delivering credible elections required the commitment and collective responsibility of all staff.

He cautioned personnel against avoidable mistakes, stressing that the success of Nigeria’s electoral process would have implications beyond the country’s borders.

According to him, a credible election in Nigeria would strengthen democratic institutions across Africa and reinforce the continent’s confidence in democratic governance.

Amupitan said electoral credibility could not be achieved through last-minute preparations or mere assurances, but through sustained planning, adherence to professional ethics, technological investment, improved staff welfare and efficient administrative procedures.

He disclosed that the 2027 general election would involve more than 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He therefore urged staff not to rest on their achievements in previous off-cycle elections, including those conducted in Anambra, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and the FCT.

The chairman said the commission was determined to improve on its previous performances, particularly in the areas of technical operations, election management and overall efficiency.

He commended electoral officers and other personnel who participated in previous elections, noting that many had put their lives at risk to ensure the successful discharge of their responsibilities.

Describing the North Central zone as strategically important to Nigeria’s electoral process, Amupitan disclosed that the region had 15.44 million registered voters, with Kogi State alone accounting for more than 1.93 million.

He noted that Kogi’s geographical position and boundaries with 10 states across four geopolitical zones made it a critical operational centre for the commission.

On voter education, the INEC chairman called on the commission’s publicity and voter education departments to intensify public enlightenment campaigns ahead of the elections.

He expressed concern over the spread of fake news, manipulated videos and misleading information on social media, warning that such developments could erode public confidence in the electoral process.

Amupitan urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing it, maintaining that not everything circulated on social media should be accepted as factual.

He added that operational failures, including late arrival of electoral officials, technical glitches and misconduct at polling units, could create opportunities for misinformation and disinformation.

On election security, he said INEC was strengthening its partnership with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral personnel and election materials.

He further disclosed that the commission had deployed Election Risk Management tools to identify vulnerable locations across the North Central zone, with the findings to be shared with security agencies to facilitate proactive security deployment.

The INEC chairman also revealed that intelligence-led operations had foiled alleged plans by criminal elements to attack and abduct ad-hoc electoral personnel, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

According to him, suspected masterminds behind the plot had been arrested and charged to court through the intervention of the Department of State Services (DSS).

He warned that anyone who threatened or attacked electoral officials would be made to face the full consequences of the law.

On the voters’ register, Amupitan assured Nigerians that the commission was addressing identified irregularities and working towards publishing the final register on December 15, 2026.

He explained that the ongoing claims and objections exercise was intended to identify and correct discrepancies, while efforts were also underway to revalidate the register and resolve inherited anomalies.

The INEC boss equally stressed the importance of discipline and political neutrality among staff, warning that any official found guilty of misconduct would face appropriate sanctions, while exceptional performance would be rewarded.

He disclosed that the commission had introduced several structural and welfare reforms, including the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), improved salaries, hazard and field allowances, increased overhead allocations to state offices and enhanced Duty Tour Allowances.

The reforms, which took effect on January 1, 2026, were designed to improve staff motivation and operational effectiveness, although some approved benefits were still awaiting cash backing.

Other initiatives, he said, included improved office infrastructure, a proposed staff housing scheme, severance benefits for retiring personnel and the procurement of additional operational vehicles, including 500 pickup trucks for logistics operations across the states.

Amupitan charged staff to remain faithful to the Electoral Act and their oath of neutrality, describing electoral personnel as the critical link between the provisions of the law and the actual delivery of democratic governance.

He subsequently declared open the North Central Zone Interactive Staff Meeting and 2027 General Election Readiness Assessment, expressing optimism that the commission would deliver credible and better-managed elections in 2027.

Nigeria’s external debt stock climbed to $145.02 billion at the end of 2025, representing a 6.6 per cent increase from the previous year, with the World Bank warning that rising debt-servicing obligations and expensive borrowing are putting additional pressure on developing economies.

The development was contained in the World Bank’s International Debt Report 2026, released on Thursday, which examined the external debt positions of low- and middle-income countries as of December 2025.

According to the report, Nigeria’s external debt has increased significantly over the past decade, rising from $83.21 billion in 2015 to $145.02 billion in 2025.

This represents an increase of approximately $61.8 billion within 10 years, reflecting the country’s growing dependence on external financing.

A breakdown of the debt profile showed that Nigeria’s total external debt stood at $145.015 billion, comprising $62.4 billion in public and publicly guaranteed debt, $54.476 billion in private nonguaranteed debt and $28.139 billion in short-term obligations.

The figures indicate that government and government-guaranteed liabilities account for less than half of the country’s external debt, while private sector borrowing and short-term obligations constitute a significant share.

The World Bank explained that public and publicly guaranteed debt covers external obligations owed by government institutions and state-owned enterprises, as well as private sector loans backed by government guarantees.

Private nonguaranteed debt, however, refers to long-term external obligations incurred by private borrowers without government backing.

Beyond the rising debt stock, the report expressed concern over the increasing cost of servicing external obligations, noting that some of Nigeria’s debt-service indicators deteriorated in 2025.

Nigeria’s external debt-to-exports ratio stood at 212 per cent, while its external debt-to-gross national income (GNI) ratio was 51 per cent.

Similarly, the country’s debt-service-to-exports ratio was 19 per cent, while debt service relative to GNI stood at five per cent.

Although the debt-to-exports and debt-to-GNI ratios declined by 4.3 per cent and 6.6 per cent respectively from their 2024 levels, debt service relative to exports increased by 9.6 per cent, while debt service as a proportion of GNI rose by 6.9 per cent.

The figures suggest that despite some improvement in Nigeria’s debt relative to national income and export earnings, the cost of meeting repayment obligations continued to rise.

The report further disclosed that debt-service payments by low- and middle-income countries increased for the fifth consecutive year, reaching $1.4 trillion in 2025.

It attributed the development largely to obligations owed to private creditors, particularly international bondholders.

Between 2022 and 2025, countries covered by the report reportedly paid approximately $436.1 billion more in debt servicing than they received in fresh financing.

However, the World Bank noted that the trend reversed in 2025, when long-term debt flows recorded a net inflow of $45.4 billion, compared with a net outflow of $118.4 billion in 2024.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted the African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate for Abia State, Doris Ogala, bail in the sum of N30 million over allegations of cyberstalking, cyberbullying and attempted extortion involving Pastor Chris Okafor.

Justice Akintayo Aluko, who granted the bail on Friday, also imposed strict conditions on the defendant, including an order restraining her from harassing, intimidating or threatening prosecution witnesses.

The court further prohibited Ogala from making electronic publications capable of compromising the trial or exposing prosecution witnesses to harassment and intimidation.

As part of the bail conditions, the Nollywood actress-turned-politician is required to produce two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties must either own landed property in Lagos State, backed by verifiable registration documents from the Land Registry, or be a prominent national officer of a political party or a person of established reputation.

The sureties must also demonstrate reliable financial standing, reside within the court’s jurisdiction and submit tax clearance certificates for the preceding three years, alongside two recent passport photographs each.

Justice Aluko additionally directed Ogala to surrender her international passport to the court registrar and execute an undertaking to maintain good behaviour throughout the proceedings.

She is expected to be released from custody immediately after satisfying the bail conditions.
Ogala was arraigned by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on a four-count charge bordering on alleged cyberstalking, cyberbullying and attempted extortion under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024.

During the proceedings, the prosecutor, Tolulope Mokolu, alleged that the defendant published nude and intimate photographs of Okafor on her social media platforms without his consent, with the intention of causing him embarrassment, emotional distress and reputational damage.

The prosecution further accused her of circulating videos, recordings and electronic messages containing information allegedly known to be false and intended to bully, threaten, intimidate or harass the cleric.

In another count, Ogala was accused of threatening to release more menacing and intimate materials concerning Okafor unless he compensated her or purchased a house for her.

According to the prosecution, the alleged offences were committed between September 2024 and March 2026, in violation of relevant provisions of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, as amended in 2024.

Ogala, however, pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

The court subsequently adjourned the case until March 25, 2027, for the commencement of trial.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the processes that led to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The court also nullified the emergence of former Senate President David Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and others as national officers of the party.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu upheld the case instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of the David Mark-led leadership.

The judge ruled that the processes through which Mark, Aregbesola and other officials assumed leadership positions in the party were unlawful.

Consequently, the court nullified all actions taken by the David Mark-led leadership in the name of the ADC.

Justice Lifu further held that all candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections had their nominations invalidated, having emerged through what the court described as an illegal leadership structure.

Details shortly…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The appellate court, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, upheld the decision of the Federal High Court, which had earlier declined to order INEC to recognise the interim leadership of the opposition party.

The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1221/2026, was instituted by Senator Adolphus Wabara and seven others, including members of the PDP Board of Trustees and some founding members of the party, against INEC and six other respondents.

The appellants had approached the appellate court to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court, delivered by Justice Salim, which refused their request to compel the electoral umpire to recognise the interim NWC led by Turaki.

The interim leadership emerged from a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting convened following a Supreme Court judgment on the protracted leadership crisis within the PDP.

However, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, with Justices Laja Balogun and Ruquayat Oremei Ayoola as members, dismissed the appeal and affirmed the lower court’s decision in its entirety.

Reacting to the ruling, the Interim NWC’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the group had accepted the court’s decision but would proceed to challenge it at the Supreme Court.

In a statement published on the party’s official X handle on Wednesday, Ememobong disclosed that the group’s legal team had been directed to immediately initiate the process of appealing the judgment.

He said the interim leadership remained committed to pursuing what it described as justice, expressing confidence that the truth would eventually prevail.

“We are determined to take our quest for justice anchored on truth to the apex court in the land. It is our belief that no matter how deep the truth is buried, if those seeking it are persistent in digging, it will one day resurface,” he said.

Ememobong added that the party had instructed its lawyers to immediately file an appeal before the Supreme Court.

The statement also stressed the need for a strong and independent opposition party, insisting that the PDP must continue to serve as a credible alternative to the ruling party rather than become an appendage of the government.

“The PDP, as the main opposition party, must provide a credible alternative to the ruling party and not become its appendage,” the statement added.

It further urged party members to remain resolute as the legal battle moves to the Supreme Court, expressing optimism that the eventual outcome would strengthen Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.

A Federal High Court sitting in Enugu on Wednesday nullified the primary election of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for Enugu West Senatorial Zone, DAILY GAZETTE reports.

This comes barely days after the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sacked Hon. John Nwokeabia and declared Hon. Chijioke Okereke the duly elected candidate of the party for the Awgu/Aninri/Oji River Federal Constituency.

Delivering his judgment in suit number FHC/EN/CS/153/2026, the presiding judge, Justice Segun-Bello, ruled in favour of the petitioner, Barr. Ugochi Ohajekwe, who is aligned with the Dr. Johnpaul Anih-led State Working Committee of the party.

The judgment also nullified the publication of the name of Hon. Uche Eneh by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the dispute over the party’s candidate.

Ohajekwe, through her counsel, Kelvin Eya, Esq., had approached the court, arguing that the NDC’s national leadership did not conduct a primary election in Enugu State.

She maintained that the only valid primary was organised by the party’s state chapter under the leadership of Dr. Johnpaul Anih.

The petitioner consequently asked the court to uphold her candidacy, challenging the process that produced Eneh as the party’s candidate.

DAILY GAZETTE correspondent who monitored the proceedings reports that the court’s decision effectively nullified the disputed candidate’s publication, leaving the party without a candidate recognised under the affected process.

Details shortly….