Politics

Opposition seeks credible polls as INEC releases timetable ahead of 2027

Published

2 months ago

February 14, 2026

Nigeria’s major opposition parties have expressed readiness for the 2027 general elections following the release of the timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission, while demanding credible and transparent polls.

The Peoples Democratic Party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the African Democratic Congress said they were prepared to participate, but stressed that the integrity of the process would determine the legitimacy of the outcome.

According to INEC, the presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on February 20, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for March 6, 2027.

Campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly polls will run from November 18, 2026, to February 19, 2027. Governorship and state Assembly campaigns will begin on December 15, 2026, and end on March 5, 2027, 24 hours before the elections.

Political parties are expected to conduct primaries between July 1 and September 30, 2026, and submit their candidates’ lists between October 1 and October 31, 2026.

PDP declares readiness

The PDP National Caretaker Committee, aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said the party was fully prepared for the elections.

In a statement, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, urged members and aspirants to remain focused, assuring them that internal disputes and pending litigations would be resolved ahead of the primaries window.

“The PDP is fully prepared to meet all constitutional and regulatory requirements within the stipulated timelines,” the statement read, while reaffirming the party’s commitment to offering what it described as credible leadership in 2027.

Separately, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee of the PDP also declared readiness for the polls, provided INEC guarantees free, fair and credible elections.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said, “Whenever INEC is ready for the elections, the PDP will be ready, provided it can guarantee free, fair and credible elections.”

NNPP faults election budget

The NNPP welcomed the timetable but urged INEC to use the intervening period to prepare for an election acceptable to Nigerians and the international community.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the party’s spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, expressed concern over the N873.778bn budgeted for the elections, describing it as excessive.

“What are they using that huge amount for? Are they building new mobile phone towers to transmit results? I don’t know what they budgeted N800bn for, but it sounds ridiculous,” he said.

ADC seeks real-time transmission

The ADC also welcomed the timetable but said the credibility of the elections would depend on transparent procedures, particularly the real-time electronic transmission of results.

In a statement, its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said while the early release of the timetable allows for proper planning, public confidence would rest on INEC’s commitment to transparency and technological integrity.

He urged the commission to clarify its readiness to adopt real-time transmission if legal amendments are enacted and called on the National Assembly to remove ambiguities in the Electoral Act.

“Nigerians have shown, time and again, that they are ready to defend the sanctity of their votes. What is now required is for the electoral umpire to match that civic vigilance with institutional clarity, operational transparency and administrative excellence,” he said.

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Politics

APC, PDP Abuja conventions of varied colours

Published

10 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

General Editor, Politics, Taiwo Adisa reviews the national conventions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held in Abuja, observing that the two achieved predetermined ends.

Before the November 15, 2025, national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan, Senate President Bukola Saraki acted like the Nostradamus of our political space when he dropped the advice that the party should rather put in place a caretaker committee. The party, however, shunned the advice, went ahead with the convention, and landed in further travails. But the group supported by the Minister of the Federal Capital (FCT), Nyesom Wike, went ahead to set up a caretaker Committee before the tenure of the former chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, ended in December 2025.

That caretaker committee now appears to be the cornerstone of Wike’s control of the party, even as many other bigwigs have started joining the trail.

Within the All Progressives Congress (APC), the groundswell for the affirmation of Prof Nentawe Yilwatda-led National Working Committee was unmistakable ahead of the March 28 convention. There were hardly any issues as the ruling party spoke with one voice and tested its adoption of the consensus option, a move that would possibly be perfected during the forthcoming primaries for the various elective posts on offer for the 2027 polls. As expected, the APC convention sprang no surprises, and all went well. President Bola Tinubu, who spoke at the convention, spoke of unity among Nigerians as he chided the opposition parties for failing to put their houses in order.

Of all the conventions, the gathering of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Velodrome of the MKO Abiola National Stadium is the one that generated intense heat.

The night before

All eyes were on the Wike-led PDP ahead of the March 29-30 convention. The day before the convention, a report indicated that the faction of the party led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) had headed to the Supreme Court to appeal the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which nullified the Ibadan convention. There was palpable tension in Abuja, as members of the PDP were largely unsure of the exact situation. There were concerns about whether INEC would monitor the convention, even as some members of the Turaki-led faction went to town with the indication that the convention would not hold because an appeal had been lodged with the Supreme Court. That, however, was doused in the evening house when Wike appeared on an inspection tour of the Velodrome location of the convention. He told the nation that all was well with the planned convention.

The two remaining governors of the party were clearly against the convention. Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, sanctioned the return to the Supreme Court, despite the push for reconciliation. One of the leaders who also spoke against the convention is presidential hopeful Gbenga Olawepo Hashim, who stated that a parallel convention might not be advisable.

The Saraki intervention

The former Senate President had attempted to play the peacemaker before the end of last year and was at a stage appointed to lead the search for peace by the Wike-led faction. As the convention drew closer, Saraki appeared on Channels Television, where he expressed his desire to attend the March 29 convention. It was gathered that he was also privy to several top-level meetings held in Abuja between Tuesday and Friday, centering on the need for a convention that could guarantee that the teeming members of the party are not disenfranchised in the 2027 polls.

As stated by a Saraki insider: “The view of the former senate president is primarily about the fate of the members as he advised that the feuding leaders of the PDP should take concrete steps to protect the interests of the members.”

He was also said to have insisted that the party must seek to put in place an NWC that would be recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while he urged party leaders to utilise the opportunity of the convention to scale the hurdle of having a leadership that is recognised by INEC.

Wike’s victory lap and convention proper

Having established that there was no court injunction stopping the conduct of the convention, the Wike group moved fast enough, and the venue was the Velodrome of the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja. It was an irony that at the same venue in 2022, Wike had lost the presidential primaries to former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, a development that had some spiralling effects on the PDP, leading it to the greatest haemorrhage it has ever witnessed since its formation in 1998.

So, for Wike, it was a triumphant entry for the FCT Minister at the Velodrome, and every observer saw the joy in Wike on the day. He danced around the complex and was very energetic in his steps. The fact that the convention could hold for him was a victory for his caucus. After all the preliminaries at the convention ground, including the nullification of earlier motions ratified by the previous National Executive Committee, which named Damagum as substantive national chairman, the convention went ahead to elect Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed Takushara as the new chairman. Whether he is a factional chairman or he would assume the full powers as the chairman of the PDP would be known after the ruling of the Supreme Court.

Questions over Saraki’s role

Several Nigerians have questioned whether Saraki was with Wike on this route or if he was working to prepare a platform for the 2027 presidential contest. He is a member of the highest decision-making organ of the party, being a former number three man in the country, so he is one of the elders. So what was Saraki driving at, roving around the Wike group and seeking an elusive peace with the other group? Sources close to the former governor of Kwara State said that he had seen the PDP as the veritable platform through which his supporters in the state could seek political power in the next election.

Said a source close to the former Senate helmsman said: “It is believed that he sees the PDP as the only platform that is capable of presenting a solid opposition to the ruling APC with its broad national outlook and structure. Remember, the PDP has never changed its name, and that makes it resonate with a lot of Nigerians.

“Then, Saraki’s supporters back in Kwara have affirmed that they want all their aspirants to contest elections on the PDP platform as it is their sure bet for regaining power in the state. A meeting of the party’s stakeholders in Ilorin last Wednesday agreed that its delegates from the state should attend the Abuja convention and that if they observe that INEC was present and other necessary recognition to validate the activities and resolutions from the convention are present, they will hold another meeting to finally decide on their political future.

“Saraki is of the view that the popularity of the PDP in Kwara State is unmistakable and that his supporters prefer the platform to mobilise the grassroots. Since all politics is local, the former Senate President is determined to listen to his supporters and pursue plans at the national level that will give maximum advantage to his supporters back home. Thus, the survival of PDP and its ability to field candidates in the 2027 polls is important to Saraki.”

It was also learnt that the former Senate president was calculating that the PDP was better placed to benefit from the possible implosion of the ruling party, which he said has become so big that its fall could be imminent. He believes many of the defectors to the APC and others who have gone to displace or put at a disadvantage will either return to the PDP or work for the PDP. He also told his supporters that a prominent gubernatorial aspirant who previously left the PDP for APC in Nasarawa State, David Ombugadu, has returned to the PDP and that many others are willing to return if they fail in the primaries.

To his joy, the convention was attended by INEC, and a stage could be set for a huge happening within the former ruling party, as the Wike group has been offered the legal right to run the party. Only a Supreme Court’s reversal, as hoped by Tanimu Turaki’s faction, could change Wike’s Abuja dance steps.

What next for PDP?

The former ruling party appears to have boxed itself into Wike’s corner for a long time, when the former Rivers State governor was left to cater for the soul of the party. The fact that many of the party’s governors refused to attend to its welfare strengthened the former Rivers man, and today, maybe he is reaping the fruits of his tenacity in funding the party over the years. However, a thick cloud still hangs in the air, and only the Supreme Court validation would clear the fog. As things stand, the Turaki faction may have to find avenues to fix its ambitious members in a platform that could enable them to contest elections, if words are not coming in early enough from the Supreme Court. As stated by a source, the task of reconciliation should be the duty of the Wike-led team, now that a convention recognised by INEC has been held. “The new NWC must move to withdraw all cases in courts and encourage the other faction to do the same,” the source said, adding that leaders like Saraki must continue to ring the bell of unity and peace. Incidentally, Gbenga Hashim also stated during the week that reconciliation is still possible even after the convention. Hopefully, elders like Sule Lamido, Bukola Saraki, Senator Abba Moro, and Chief Dan Orbi, among others, would serve the party with their wealth of experience to find a lasting peace under the umbrella.

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Politics

Ganduje, Badaru meet Tinubu amid defection surge

Published

11 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday received in audience former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and former Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, in separate meetings at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting came a day after the former governor of Kano State and New Nigeria People’s Party chieftain, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, defected to the African Democratic Congress.

Also defected alongside Kwankwaso were former deputy governor and 2023 governorship candidate of the APC in Kano, Nasiru Gawuna; former deputy governor of Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, and a host of supporters.

There were reports that some lawmakers from the state were planning to join Kwankwaso in the ADC.

Our correspondent spotted Ganduje, dressed in a green ‘Babanriga’, leaving the State House at approximately 4:15 pm, while Badaru departed about 15 minutes later at 4:30 pm.

Both men declined to speak with journalists about the purpose of their visits.

Ganduje served as APC national chairman from August 2023 until July 2025, when he resigned from the position.

He was succeeded by Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, who was formally elected as substantive national chairman at the party’s 4th Elective National Convention held on March 27, 2026, at Eagle Square, Abuja.

Prior to his role as party chairman, Ganduje served as Kano State governor from 2015 to 2023.

Badaru, a former governor of Jigawa State (2015-2023), served as defence minister in Tinubu’s cabinet before his recent resignation from the position.

The separate timing of their exits suggested the meetings were individual consultations rather than a joint session with the President.

The visits may be connected to ongoing party reorganisation following the recent APC national convention and defection surge in Kano and Jigawa states.

It was reported that some chieftains of the party loyal to Badaru may be heading to the ADC in Jigawa State, following the crisis with Governor Umar Namadi.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ganduje had accompanied Governor Abba Yusuf and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, to the House of Representatives to witness the defection of eight NNPP members of the House to the APC.

Speaking to newsmen after the event, Ganduje assured that Kano will deliver President Tinubu and Governor Yusuf in the 2027 elections.

He played down the defection of Kwankwaso to the ADC and assured that the party would be victorious in 2027.

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Politics

27 Reps dump PDP, others for APC, ADC in a defection tsunami

Published

12 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The wave of political alignments ahead of the 2027 general election continued on Tuesday as 27 members of the House of Representatives switched political platforms, with the All Progressives Congress gaining 14 new members and losing two.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, while presiding over Tuesday’s plenary, announced the defections, lamenting the decision of two of his colleagues to dump the APC for the opposition.

The defections strengthened the fortune of the ruling party in the Green Chamber as its membership rose to about 280 out of the 360-member parliament.

The Peoples Democratic Party, which has lost many of its members, comes a distant second with 38 members, the African Democratic Congress has 15 members, while the Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party are left with 12 and five members respectively.

The Accord and the Action Peoples Party have two members each.

Recall that during the inauguration of the 10th House in June, 2023, the APC had 181 members, while the opposition parties had 179, with the PDP leading with 115 members.

Last week, The PUNCH exclusively reported the imminent defection of the House Deputy Spokesman, Philip Agbese.

On Tuesday, the Benue lawmaker left for the LP, anchoring his defection to the lingering political crisis between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.

With his defection, Agbese, who represents Ogbadigbo/Okpokun Federal Constituency, became the first lawmaker elected on the platform of the APC to dump the party for the minority party.

Other defectors included Ademola Akani and Lanre Oladebo Omoleye (PDP to Accord), Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and Anthony Nwogu (LP, Imo) to APP.

On his part, the House Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi, led the defectors from LP to the ADC.

“I am leaving LP due to the crisis in the party. The crisis has affected the collective pursuit of a common agenda, and we believe that the decision to join the ADC will enhance my contribution to national development,” he said.

Others who left for the ADC included Harris Uchenna (LP, Anambra), Yahaya Tongo (PDP, Gombe), Oluwaseyi Sowumi (LP, Lagos), Aliyu Mustapha Abdullahi (APC, Kaduna, who recently defected from PDP to APC), Mani Maishinko (PDP, Sokoto), Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto) and Umar Yabo (PDP, Sokoto), all left their parties for the ADC.

Mustapha Tijani, Mohammed Shehu, Dankwa Idris, Hassan Shehu, Tanimu Yusuf, Mohammed Ciroma, Sani Madaki, and Tijani Jobe all swapped the NNPP for the APC.

The APC also gained Ja’afaru Yakubu (PDP, Taraba), Sadiq Tafida (PDP, Taraba), Ibrahim Mohammed (PDP, Kebbi) and Hassan Shinkafi (PDP, Zamfara)

Sani Madaki, who was until his defection the Deputy Minority leader of the House, said his decision to leave the NNPP was a result of the protracted crisis in the party, leading to a legion of court cases and what he discovered about the Kwankwasiyya movement.

He said the crisis in the party has divided its members along the line of supporters of the founders of the party and the former Kano State governor, Mr Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin and former APC national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, were at the session to welcome eight NNPP defectors from Kano State to the APC.

On Monday, the leader of the Kwankwassiya movement and NNPP chieftain, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, dumped the party for the ADC.

He was joined by supporters, including the former deputy governor of Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo and the 2023 governorship candidate in the state, Yusuf Gawuna.

Announcing his decision to join the APC in a statement on Tuesday, the lawmaker representing Birnin Kebbi, Kalgo and Bunza Federal Constituency of Kebbi State, Mohammed blamed protracted leadership crises and internal divisions within the opposition party.

He said the PDP had been “deeply enmeshed in unresolved leadership tussles and litigations” that had weakened its effectiveness as a political platform.

“The persistent leadership crisis and internal conflicts within the party have made it increasingly difficult for committed members like myself to contribute meaningfully to its growth and democratic responsibilities,” he said.

The lawmaker confirmed that he has formally communicated his resignation to his ward leadership in Nasarawa I Ward, Birnin Kebbi, and has also notified the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

PDP senator joins APC

In a related development, the senator representing Niger South, Peter Jiya, on Tuesday defected from the PDP to the APC, citing deepening internal disputes within his former party.

The defection, which adds to the growing wave of political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, was formally conveyed in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and read during plenary on Tuesday.

In the letter, Jiya stated that he had resigned his membership of the PDP with effect from March 10.

“I wish to notify you and the Senate that I have resigned my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party effective today,” the letter read.

Explaining the reason for his decision, the lawmaker pointed to unresolved internal conflicts within the party.

“This action is premised on quarrels and irreconcilable divisions within the party,” he said.

Jiya further announced his decision to continue his political career under the APC.

He also expressed appreciation to the PDP for the opportunity to serve.

The development comes barely 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission formally recognised a faction of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Agbese dismisses gov ambition

The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Agbese, said his defection was driven by the wishes of his constituents, as he dismissed speculation linking it to a governorship ambition in Benue State.

Speaking to journalists, he said, “Well, first and foremost, let me thank the people of Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency for the opportunity to be here.

“Secondly, we are about to kickstart another round of the tournament, and the people, of course, having critically examined the machinery that brought us here, and they realised some faults, have decided to board another plane, which is the Labour Party.

“So let me thank Her Excellency, Senator Nenadi Usman, the national chairman of the Labour Party, and the entire leadership, for accepting us to be part of the Labour family.”

He added, “I want to categorically put it on record that our defection is about service to our people. It is about making ourselves available again for service come 2027 and our people, the largest population of our people, have taken a very firm position, to say that the Labour Party is the only available vehicle that will take us to the expected destination, come 2027, and as a servant of the people, we have no choice than to be part of the Labour family. That is why we’re here today.”

Agbese, who described himself as the new political leader of the party in Benue, pledged loyalty to the LP and ruled out importing internal wrangling from his former party.

“This is a new family. I’m just coming in, and as the new political leader of the party in Benue state, we also have our national leader, His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti. He is the national leader of this great party.

“So I think there is a need for us to step down our old behaviour from the APC, wear a new lens and see things differently.

“So, not until we do that, we don’t really know, but I believe that Senator Nenadi Usman has accepted me into this party and to lead the party to victory.”

Explaining why he did not join the ADC, Agbese said the decision reflected the preference of his constituents.

“The people of my federal constituency are completely different kinds of people. They respect multi-party democracy,” he said.

On rumours of a governorship bid, Agbese said, “I do not only believe in leadership. I also believe much more in servantship. And today we have also adopted the responsibility not to even be servants again, but to become labourers.

“There’s no governorship ambition in sight at the moment. We cannot rule that out in the near or far future, but at the moment, I think it is about the people.”

He also reaffirmed his loyalty to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

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