Politics

2027 battle: Rivers crisis escalates as top APC govs back Fubara

Published

2 months ago

January 6, 2026

Moves by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to scuttle the 2027 re-election bid of his successor, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, appear to have suffered a setback as several All Progressives Congress governors rallied behind the embattled Fubara.

Multiple sources in the APC confirmed to The PUNCH on Monday that the renewed hostilities between Wike and Fubara were ignited by some top APC governors’ decision to back Fubara’s second term bid, a development the FCT minister found galling and is bitterly opposed to.

The latest development was further compounded by the APC leadership’s endorsement of Fubara, who appeared to have endeared himself to the party’s top echelons, many of whom have been praising his projects across the state.

Trouble reportedly started when forces loyal to Wike attempted to back the erstwhile National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samuel Anyanwu, as the next governor of Imo State without consulting Governor Hope Uzodimma.

The move reportedly infuriated Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman of the APC governors. Following the development, some APC governors reportedly began to mobilise other colleagues against the FCT minister.

“The plan is to weaken the FCT minister in his home state and reduce his influence and political power. This was further compounded by the fact that Wike is reportedly not favoured by some powerful members of the Tinubu administration. So, some APC governors mobilised their colleagues to support Fubara, and the result is what is playing out in the form of the renewed hostilities between the two men,” a senior APC official told The PUNCH on Monday night.

Another insider disclosed that Fubara had been emboldened by the promised backing of the APC governors for his re-election bid, hence his readiness to challenge the FCT minister’s political strength in the state.

Meanwhile, the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, and Wike on Monday traded words over Rivers politics and the minister’s insistence that he would not support Fubara for a second term.

Basiru, in a statement, asked the ex-Rivers State governor to resign his ministerial position and focus on what he described as his obsession with Rivers State politics.

He said he was unfazed by what he termed veiled threats from the minister, insisting that his political background had prepared him to withstand intimidation.

Basiru had, in an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH, declared support for Fubara amid ongoing confrontations between him and Wike.

The APC scribe also cautioned the South-South Chairman of the APC, Victor Giadom, against derogatory remarks about Fubara or any other governor, stating that members of the National Working Committee of the party should not take sides in political crisis.

Giadom had said Fubara could not succeed in the state without Wike’s support.

While noting that Wike is the only dominant political figure in Gokana LG where he hails from, Giadom described the minister as a “dependable leader”, adding that his influence in the LG remained unchallenged and essential for any political inroad or success in the area.

“I guarantee, on behalf of my brothers, that the Gokana people are for Wike and Tinubu, and nobody will challenge Wike’s influence in Gokana.

“Gokana is a ‘no-go area’ for anybody, even the so-called Governor, for him to win anything in Gokana, he must pass through Wike,” the APC chieftain stated, a position that irritated Basiru, who, in a statement, berated Giadom for belittling Fubara.

Basiru, while speaking late last year, during the inauguration of the newly completed Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters at Elimgbu community in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, called on the people of Rivers State to rally behind the ruling party and support President Bola Tinubu and Governor Fubara in the 2027 general elections.

Basiru also praised Fubara for what he described as commendable governance strides and quality project delivery.

However, Wike, during his “thank-you” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, warned Basiru to steer clear of the state’s politics.

“Let me warn those who come to Rivers State, because you have heard that we have N600bn, you come here, you collect, and you open your mouth to talk anyhow.

“I say it here, take this message to your National Secretary, leave Rivers State alone. Go and ask those who have done it before. Please don’t take our support for Mr President for granted. You have to be careful with the statements you make.

“Today, you are enjoying in Osun, you don’t know those who did the work. You are opening your mouth to talk about Rivers State. Anything you see, take it.

“Go and ask other people what has happened to them before. If your hand burns, no be me burn am o (I’m not the now who burnt them). This state is a no-go area. Take the one you have taken, stop making unnecessary comments.”

Responding to Wike’s comments in a statement he personally signed on Monday, Basiru said the minister lacked the authority to interfere in the affairs of the ruling party, stressing that Wike was not a member of the APC.

Basiru maintained that contrary to Wike’s impression, he had the authority to oversee affairs of the APC across the country as the national secretary of the party.

He said, “From my record, he isn’t a member of APC. I don’t see which authority or temerity he has to be dabbling in APC affairs.

“I am the National Secretary of APC, and I don’t see any basis for him to be making comments about my activities either in Rivers State or in any part of Nigeria.

“As the National Secretary of the party, my activities aren’t confined to Osun State, contrary to his wrong impression.

“I am the head of the National Secretariat of the APC. So, he has no locus whatsoever to engage me in any political activity that concerns the APC until he joins the party.”

Basiru also dismissed allegations linking him to an alleged interest in Rivers State funds, describing the claims as baseless and inconsistent with his personal record.

“I take strong exception to his allusion that I am interested in the N600bn allocations of Rivers State. My records of service are those of integrity and commitment to service. I am not an opportunist, and I have never shied away from taking principled positions on any matter, no matter whose ox is gored.

“I am one of the young Nigerians who confronted military dictatorship. I can’t be bullied by anybody, no matter how highly placed. My records as National Secretary are above board, and I can’t be queried by somebody who isn’t a member of APC.’’

The prospect of Fubara seeking a second term has remained contentious following the political crisis in the state, which was triggered by a rift between the governor and Wike, his predecessor.

Following the intervention of Tinubu, a resolution was reportedly reached and signed by both parties. It was widely reported that a key aspect of the agreement was that Fubara would not seek re-election in 2027.

However, Basiru appeared to offer renewed hope to the governor, whom he described as one of the latest entrants into the APC.

Sequel to the political disagreements with Wike, Fubara officially left the PDP and joined the ruling APC on December 9, a move widely seen as a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The defection came shortly after several key members of the Rivers State House of Assembly also defected to the APC. Fubara’s switch effectively ended his long-standing ties with the PDP and positioned him as the APC’s leading figure in Rivers State.

In response, Wike has spent the past week criticising Fubara, accusing him of failing to honour agreements and questioning his prospects for re-election.

The FCT minister also claimed that Fubara lacked the support of the APC, insisting that he is being misled and would not win re-election as governor of the oil-rich state in 2027.

Backing the minister, APC National Vice Chairman for the South-South Zone, Victor Giadom, expressed support for Wike, stating that Fubara must contend with the former governor to secure re-election.

Basiru admonished Wike against causing confusion in the ruling party, saying, “Finally, my advice to Nyesom Wike is that he cannot be in the Federal Executive Council of an APC government and be causing confusion within any organ or structure of the party at any level, using the leverage of that same office. The honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as minister.’’

The APC scribe stated that Wike’s alleged efforts to destabilise the ruling party in Rivers State would not be tolerated, adding that he cannot bring the practices of the PDP into the APC.

Basiru added that he would not be intimidated by Wike’s empty threats.

“As to his veiled threat against me, let me remind Wike that he is not God and may be overplaying his political card. My faith is in God, and I will not succumb to cheap threats such as the one from Wike. I am one of the young Nigerians who confronted military rule, fighting for democracy, when the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight.

“Let me also remind Nyesom Wike that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not automatically make him a member of the APC. Millions of non-APC Nigerians also support Mr President, and his own is no different. His attempt to destabilise our party in Rivers State will not be tolerated, and he cannot bring the spirit of PDP into the APC.”

Reacting to the spat between Basiru and Wike, the Coalition for United Political Party National Secretary, Peter Ameh, praised the APC National Secretary for his boldness, claiming that Wike was undermining governance in both Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole.

Ameh stated, “He has been used by the APC in destroying his own party. Now he is no longer needed because the full gamut and structure of the party is now in the APC. So, what do they need him for? He is no longer needed. He has completed his assignment. The only thing he needs to do now is to join the APC and start taking instructions from the leader of the party, who is Fubara. He has to know that, based on the APC structure and their manifesto, the governor is the leader of the party.

“I do not cry or shed tears for either Fubara or for Wike. I think it is the game of President Tinubu, which he has played from day one, to make sure that he has two groups of people campaigning for him in River State, and to the detriment of the River State people who are supposed to be beneficiaries of good governance.’’

Defending Wike, Dr Chidi Lloyd, a former Chairman of Emuoha LGA, Rivers State, said Basiru couldn’t demand Wike’s resignation, saying it was the President who appointed him.

“He wasn’t the one who appointed the minister of the FCT, and cannot ask him to resign. I wish he could have said so before the 2023 elections. I wonder how many votes he gave to the All Progressives Congress in the State of Osun. You know, people forget easily. When they come to collect dollars, they forget where we are coming from.

‘’So, it’s normal, but I don’t want to believe that such a statement emanated from him. But it could be dollars because for you to get the attention of the Governor of Rivers State, you must abuse Nyesom Wike. And he forgets how the person he is talking to now, who has become his friend overnight, emerged as governor.”

Also, Chimelem Wodi, an ally of the minister, dismissed the APC scribe’s statement, arguing that only the President could ask Wike to resign.

“He has no right to say what he has said because he is not even active in his party. So, he has no such powers and I think he is trying to incur the wrath of Rivers’ people and well-meaning citizens of the state who collectively backed the FCT minister to represent them.

“Again, the FCT minister has not committed any crime, or whatsoever that will make Mr President disqualify him. Mr President has on several occasions said the FCT minister is a good man and a performer. Today, if you are talking about the best minister so far in terms of performance, Wike has done very well. So, I think the APC secretary is just a busybody,” he noted.

In a related development, the Rivers State deputy governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu and the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Benibo Anabraba, have resigned their membership of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Odu formally registered as a member of the APC in her ward in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.

She completed her e-registration at Akabuka, Ward 8, Unit 11 on Sunday and thereafter, undertook the tour of the six zones of the LGA to sensitise the people on the ongoing APC e-registration exercise.

This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday by the Head of Press Unit, office of the deputy governor, Owupele Benebo.

Anabraba’s resignation was contained in a letter dated January 5, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of Ward 1, PDP in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The letter was submitted through the party’s ward office at Bob-Manuel’s Compound, Abonnema, the council headquarters in Rivers State.

The SSG said his decision to withdraw from the PDP was purely personal, even as he expressed gratitude to the PDP for the political leverage and opportunities he enjoyed during his period of membership.

Meanwhile, former Ambassador to South Korea and Coordinator, Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Rivers State, Desmond Akawor, has said that the development of Oyigbo Local Government Area in Rivers State has been stalled under Governor Fubara.

Akawor stated this on Monday during the FCT minister’s visit to Oyigbo LGA.

He said that the people of the area elected Governor Fubara with the belief that he would continue from where Wike stopped in developing the area.

“Permit me to speak frankly. If these things are not said now, they may never be said. We elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara with the expectation that Oyigbo would benefit meaningfully from development.

“Your Excellency, development in Oyigbo has stalled. We have not moved an inch forward. The only tangible benefit Oyigbo has received is a commissioner’s slot, which was given to me. Beyond that, nothing substantial has come to our people, “ Akawor stated.

Speaking on the N600 billion in the state treasury, he warned that Oyigbo must not be excluded from the utilisation of the funds.

Rivers elders

Prominent Niger Delta activist and member of the Rivers State Elders Forum, Ann Kio-Briggs, took a swipe at Wike over his recent comments against Fubara.

Kio-Briggs described Wike’s vow not to allow Fubara to seek reelection in 2027 as both a threat to Rivers State and the people and therefore unacceptable.

She said, “Let me put it like this, Nyesom Wike is a former Governor of Rivers State. He is a son of Rivers State. Wike is the Minister of the Federal Capital and a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party. Nobody can claim that any one individual has 100 per cent support in any state in Nigeria, in any place in the world.

“You cannot have 100 per cent support even when you put a gun to somebody’s head, the support is not 100 per cent.

“The minister is not the owner of Rivers State. He doesn’t own Rivers State, and he doesn’t own the people of Rivers State. At least, given this preamble, nobody can claim that the present governor is not the Governor of Rivers State; nobody can claim how many people can vote for him or cannot vote for him. But as of today, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has the majority of votes of the people of Rivers State.”

On the FCT minister’s moves to stop Fubara from contesting the 2027 polls, Kio-Briggs added, “It’s almost like a threat that Siminalayi Fubara is not going to come back; it’s actually a threat to Rivers State itself, and it is also a threat to the people of Rivers State themselves, and it is not acceptable.

“It is unfair to the people of Rivers State who are being put through this because of political ambition. The people of Rivers State that I know and that I’m in touch with as of today, the majority of the people are in support of the present Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

“And what I know is that what the Rivers people want is peace. We want peace in our state, and the people of Rivers State want to be allowed to choose a man or woman of their choice, and if at the end of the day Sir Siminalayi Fubara is the choice of the people, it is only if God allows anybody that they can overturn that choice of the people.

“But I think that any true son or daughter of Rivers State should want peace and tranquillity in our state, no matter the political party you belong to.”

A former Lagos APC spokesman, Joe Igbokwe, expressed concern over the altercation between Wike and Basiru, urging for unity within the party.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Igbokwe wrote, “The altercations between Hon Minister FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the National Secretary APC Nigeria , Ajibola Basiru, is totally uncalled for and unnecessary. It is a needless distraction.

“If, out of annoyance, you remove your cap and throw it away, a madman will pick and use it forever. This misunderstanding is totally uncalled for. Let it cease to exist now. We have a job to do. All hands should be on deck. Wike is a strong man in this government; you ignore him at your own peril. Wike is a huge pillar and an asset in the APC. He has been an LGA chairman, a minister, a former governor and FCT Minister. He is a big pillar in this government. He has a lot to bring to the table.”

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Politics

PDP faction slams candidate withdrawals in FCT elections as ‘anti‑democratic’

Published

13 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

A faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed “utter dismay” over the withdrawal of some of its chairmanship candidates from the forthcoming Abuja Local Council elections, calling the move “anti-democratic in every sense.”

The party also warned that it reflects a troubling trend in the party’s leadership.

In a Friday statement on its social handles, the National Working Committee of the party said: “The National Working Committee of the Party @OfficialPDPNig has received with utter dismay the news of the withdrawal or stepping down of some Chairmanship Candidates of our Party from the forthcoming Abuja Local Council elections.”

Describing the development as a symptom of a broader problem, the party accused some leaders of fostering what it termed “voodoo democracy.”

It read, “As sad as this development is, it is a pointer to the type of voodoo democracy promoted by those parading as leaders of the PDP, whose only interest is to ‘hold’ the party for the President.”

The statement also warned that such actions could foreshadow attempts to manipulate presidential elections.

It continued, “This is exactly what they intended to do to Nigerians, when close to the Presidential elections, they can compel, induce or cajole all the other candidates to step down or withdraw for the President to have a smooth sail back to Aso Rock Villa, despite the abysmal performance of his administration.”

The PDP said it had previously acted against such behavior within the party: “It was for ignoble, reckless and shameless acts like these that we excommunicated them from our party, in order to rebuild a strong opposition party, prepared for a struggle to return to power by 2027.”

The statement concluded with instructions for voters: “Furthermore, voters should go to the polls prepared to protect their votes and ensure that Presiding Officers transmit Form EC8A immediately after announcing the result at the polling unit.”

The press release was signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, MNIPR, National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party.

PDP chairmanship candidate for the Bwari Area Council election, Julius Adamu, on Wednesday withdrew from the race in favour of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Joshua Musa.

The stand-down, marked by a show of supporters and political heavyweights, took place on Wednesday in Bwari, where FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was present.

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Politics

Aiyedatiwa vs Tunji-Ojo: Political cold war sparks killings, violence in Ondo state APC

Published

14 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

In line with the directive of the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, congresses to elect party officials at the ward, local government and state levels were scheduled for February and March this year.

However, concerns are mounting that the exercise in Ondo State could be marred by crisis amid a perceived supremacy battle between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, popularly known as BTO.

The alleged battle for control of Ondo APC took a deadly turn on Wednesday when two people were reportedly killed and five others injured during violent clashes at the ward congress in Odode-Idanre, the headquarters of Idanre Local Government Area. The incidents occurred as the ruling party conducted congresses across its 203 wards in the state.

The unrest is believed to be a spillover from Tuesday’s disruption at the party secretariat in Akure, where suspected hoodlums stormed a stakeholders’ meeting and assaulted party leaders.

Among the victims was Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of the state APC caretaker chairman, Ade Adetimehin, who sustained machete wounds after attackers allegedly mistook him for his brother due to their resemblance. Eyewitnesses reported that his vehicle was set ablaze before he was rushed to the General Hospital in Idanre, where he remains in a coma.

By party tradition and structure, the governor is widely regarded as the leader of the party at the state level, just as the President occupies that position nationally. As a minister appointed by the President, Tunji-Ojo technically falls within that federal hierarchy.

However, recent developments suggest that the Ondo State chapter of the APC has quietly split into two blocs — one aligned with Governor Aiyedatiwa and the other with the Interior Minister.

Although neither Aiyedatiwa nor Tunji-Ojo has openly acknowledged any rift, subtle signs of tension have fuelled speculation. At the recently concluded 50th anniversary celebration of Ondo State, both men publicly displayed cordiality. A viral video showed them exchanging warm embraces at the Government House in Alagbaka. They also sat side-by-side at the grand finale held at the Akure Township Stadium, where Tunji-Ojo represented President Bola Tinubu. At least outwardly, there was no visible sign of animosity.

Behind the scenes, however, party sources claim the minister has been playing an increasingly influential role within the state chapter. Tunji-Ojo is said to have cultivated strong ties with party elders and stakeholders, providing financial support and attending to their needs — gestures that have reportedly earned him loyalty and reverence among some members. He is also believed to be coordinating various support groups working for President Tinubu’s re-election across the state.

Some beneficiaries of the minister’s outreach have allegedly accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of not doing enough to strengthen party structures, despite being the state’s chief executive.

The alleged rivalry came into sharper focus on Tuesday when political thugs invaded the APC state secretariat in Akure during a pre-ward congress stakeholders’ meeting. The attackers reportedly assaulted several party leaders, including the state chairman, Ade Adetimehin; the Ondo State representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Otito Atikase; former Sports Commissioner Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye; and former Water Resources Commissioner Yetunde Adeyanju, among others.

In the aftermath, allegations emerged from some quarters that the governor’s camp orchestrated the disruption, claiming he had not approved the timing of the meeting. However, no official confirmation has substantiated those claims.

The former commissioner, Adeyanju, who was allegedly rough-handled by the thugs said, “The thugs came and were shouting, ‘we are from Aiyedatiwa.’ They specifically mentioned Aiyedatiwa, that ‘Aiyeatiwa sent us. We don’t want congress in Ondo State. The governor is in charge. The governor is the leader of the state and the governor is in charge. Nobody can query the authority of the governor and anybody that wants to talk about congress in Ondo State will be assassinated. If you talk about congress in Ondo State, you will be assassinated.’ They said that Aiyedatiwa owned the state, so, nobody should talk about congress.

Corroborating Adeyanju, the state party chairman, Adetimehin said, “The chairman of the committee (from Abuja) said we should hold a stakeholders meeting today (Tuesday). We both agreed to hold the meeting by 12pm. Then we sent this out for all of us to attend. Then I told the governor that I heard from the grapevine that some people were mobilising to the secretariat to destroy the meeting. He said no that such a thing cannot happen under his watch, that he would take charge. He (Aiyedatiwa) said he would caution anybody behind it, but 30 minutes later, the place was invaded with thugs, with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. They beat hell out of all the leaders and members, except those who are for them. They beat me and dragged me on the floor; they took away my two phones and money from my pocket, with my wristwatch.”

However, Governor Aiyedatiwa denied any involvement in the disruption. The stakeholders’ meeting was eventually held later on Tuesday evening at the party secretariat — albeit in the absence of the state chairman.

The governor maintained that supporters of various aspirants were responsible for the violence, insisting he had no hand in the attack. He further clarified that the earlier gathering which was disrupted was not an officially recognised stakeholders’ meeting.

“But this one was an impromptu stakeholders’ meeting because of the congresses at the ward and local government levels. As he said, the meeting was shifted to 2pm because it was initially fixed for 10am and I said I would not be able to make it at that time. Later on, I got a call from one of them saying there were some problems around, or some miscreants around the party secretariat. I asked him to call the Commissioner of Police, and I also called the Commissioner of Police to ensure the place was protected because I was going to attend the meeting.

“I asked that security operatives be deployed to protect the place. Later, I got to know that some miscreants, who had sympathy for one aspirant or the other, those who are contesting for one position or the other, were moving around and trying to create some kind of fracas among them, which led to some disturbances.”

A chieftain of the party and Director-General of the pro-BTO group known as the Grassroots Movement for Tinubu, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, confirmed the internal crisis in the state APC relating to the governor and the minister, but blamed the governor for not managing the situation well as the leader of the party in the state.

Yusuf-Ogunleye, who was a former Commissioner for Sports in the state, alleged that Tunji-Ojo had been taking care of the party after it was abandoned by the governor. According to him, the gesture had earned the minister significant popularity, leaving the governor jittery.

He stated, “Let me tell you, there is what is called an inferiority complex. When the governor abandons the party — the people who brought him into power — it is BTO who steps in to take care of them. For instance, during the last Christmas period, when the governor was distributing rice to every local government, the rice was delivered to and received by political office holders and not party members.

“The party was abandoned, and it was BTO who brought rice and gave 20 bags to each ward, irrespective of affiliation. He is not shunning the party; he is taking care of it. But the governor is not happy about it because he (Tunji-Ojo) did not allow party members to suffer.

“If not for BTO today, there would be no APC in the state. That is the truth. That is why you see all the party leaders on his side. But the governor is not comfortable. They are saying BTO wants to become governor. You (Aiyedatiwa) have not even spent a year in office. You still have about three years in this tenure. Why not concentrate on governance and build the party? As a governor, why are you beating your party people? More than 17 party leaders are in different hospitals in the state now after the attack yesterday (Tuesday). Why resort to violence?”

On the contrary, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor declared that Aiyedatiwa remained the leader by virtue of his position as the state governor and that he had been carrying everyone along in the spirit of fairness while playing a strong leadership role in the party.

He denied any rift between his principal and the minister.

“The governor is the leader of the party and father to all party members. He has always provided leadership that embraces all groups and interests in the party since he became governor. He is the first governor in the history of the state to hold quarterly stakeholders’ engagements with party leaders, and this has fostered unity and a sense of belonging in the APC in the state.

“On the crisis in the ward congress in some parts of the state, the pockets of issues recorded have nothing to do with the governor, and that is why he called on security agencies to restore order at the party secretariat on Tuesday. The governor has also called on security agencies to investigate the crisis that took place in Idanre earlier today (Wednesday) and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“He has also appealed to all aspirants contesting for party positions to call their followers and supporters to order as his administration will not tolerate any breakdown of law and order in any part of the state,” he stated.

In the same vein, the state Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, said there was no rift between the governor and the minister, adding that as leader of the party in the state, Aiyedatiwa has provided effective leadership and fostered unity among members.

“I am not aware of any crisis anywhere, the governor is the party leader , no argument about that,” Ajanaku said.

In a situation like this, one would naturally ask about the role of the party elders, who had previously claimed to be unaware of the matter.

However, it now appears they acknowledge that there is crisis brewing within the party and have promised to intervene, particularly concerning the attack on the secretariat on Tuesday.

The chairman of the elders’ forum, Pa Erastus Akeju, said, “This dichotomy between BTO and the governor is new to us; we were not aware of it. It has not been brought before the elders. BTO has not reported to us that the governor is after him. The governor has not reached out to us to say that BTO is challenging him.

“We are just waiting for an opportunity to see what is really happening. You see, when there is no report of violence or disagreement — physical disagreement, I mean — we cannot simply go to the governor and ask, ‘Are you quarreling with BTO?’ or ask BTO, ‘What is between you and the governor?’ We would be told, ‘Nothing.’ So it is only now, as the issue has escalated publicly into a physical confrontation, that we can say, ‘All right, it’s time for the elders to intervene.’”

A political affairs analyst, Lanre Alewa, described the cold war between the governor and the minister as unhealthy for the ruling party, particularly with the general election fast approaching. He also stressed the need for the two APC chieftains to rein in their supporters, whom he described as the major cause of the crisis.

He said, “The minister and the governor were together at the recent 50th anniversary celebration of Ondo State. They were on the podium together, and the minister visited the governor at the Government House. They were visibly together. So, some people may claim they are fighting, but I have not seen anywhere that the minister directly accused the governor, or the governor directly accused the minister.

“At times, these political jobbers, who call themselves supporters, cause such issues. They must be called to order by their principals so they do not destroy the party.

“They just go out into the streets and act as they please. You cannot ascribe that to the governor or the minister — that would be wrong. I have not heard either of them say anything to that effect. However, if such a dispute exists, the national leadership should intervene and settle the matter amicably.”

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Politics

Kanu’s freedom, Igbo presidency possible through alignment with Tinubu – Cubana Chief Priest

Published

2 days ago

February 18, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Popular socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has called on the people of the South-East to support with President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections in order to secure the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Reacting on Wednesday to a viral video where a South-East monarch urged the President to either release Kanu or return him to Kenya, the celebrity barman praised the monarch for taking the message directly to the seat of power.

He noted the monarch’s physical presence in Abuja was necessary to ensure the President heard the plight of the South-East.

Writing in Pidgin, Cubana Chief Priest wrote, “God bless you, Your Royal Highness for partaking in Nigeria. If Your Highness did not participate in Abuja, how Asiwaju wan take hear this message. If to say dem no record this video play for una, them for call his royal highness sell out say him don go collect money.”

He urged the region to “align” with the current administration rather than maintain a stance of opposition, saying, “Alignment is key, we no fit fight government, Asiwaju go free MNK. His Royal Highness don put am for Baba body. Let’s get along with Nigeria.”

The socialite further urged the South-East to reconsider its political stance ahead of the next elections, stating that Tinubu won the 2023 election without significant votes from the region.

Addressing the 2023 elections, he reminded his followers that President Tinubu emerged victorious without the majority of the South-East vote, suggesting that a repeat is likely in the future unless the region changes its approach.

He also suggested that active support for the current administration could be the “best stake” for the Igbo people to eventually produce a president.

He wrote, “Last election, Tinubu won without South-East, it’s clear he will win again. So why not give him the votes so he can do what we ask of him in return.

“Hopefully, he will hand over power to an Igbo man. He made Buhari president, a Hausa man. He made himself, a Yoruba man president. What makes you think he won’t make an Igbo man president if we clearly support him for one more term?

“Igbo best stake is on Asiwaju. Just think it out. Man has the best political structure in the country to win election make we no waste our votes.”

PUNCH Online reported on Tuesday that a traditional ruler from the South-East, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, urged Tinubu to release Kanu, or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested, warning that his continued detention was fuelling agitation among youths in the region.