Politics
Ohanaeze denies dumping Peter Obi, endorsing Tinubu
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has dismissed a report that the group has endorsed the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 presidential election.
The group also said it had not dumped the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, adding that the demeaning statement came from Chief Solomon Aguene, the immediate past president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Lagos State Chapter.
According to Ohanaeze, Aguene’s character is questionable following his plan to elongate his tenure.
It declared that the “current president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter, is Chief Sunday Ossai and only the chapter president or an authorised officer of the current Lagos State executive has the right to speak on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.”
These was revealed in a press statement titled “Ohanaeze debunks endorsement of Tinubu” which was signed by National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, on Tuesday.
It read, “The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to the news making the rounds with a caption “Ohanaeze Ndigbo dumps Peter Obi, declares support for Tinubu”.
The story added that “since the group was in support of a second term for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, there was nothing wrong in supporting his (Sanwo-Olu) presidential candidate.
“The purveyor of the above remarks is Chief Solomon Aguene, the immediate past president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Lagos State Chapter.
“For the purpose of clarity, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene was elected the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State chapter in June 2018 for four-year tenure, in line with the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Towards the end of 2021, information reached the national headquarters of Ohanaeze that Aguene was plotting a tenure elongation. Several eminent Igbo dignitaries urged Aguene to rescind the contemplation for an obnoxious tenure elongation and rather lend support for a fresh election for a new executive.
“In line with the constitution of the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, an electoral panel headed by a seasoned technocrat in the person of Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu was constituted by the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, with a mandate to conduct a fresh election for the Lagos State chapter.
“Subsequently, on June 15, 2022, an election was held in which over 750 delegates from seven Ohanaeze states participated. The election was observed by the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR; Prince Gary Igariwey, the former President General, the Chairman of the electoral panel, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, Comrade Okey Nwankwo, the President of Abia State Chapter of Ohanaeze, among others. At the end of the stiffly contested election, Chief Sunday Ossai was declared the winner with 380 votes, while the runner up, Chief Evaristus Ozonweke scored 339 votes.
“Information reaching Ohanaeze Ndigbo indicates that Aguene has secured a tenure elongation from a Lagos court. This is to say the least very deplorable.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo therefore informs the general public that the current president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter is Chief Sunday Ossai and only the Chapter president or an authorised officer of the current Lagos State executive has the right to speak on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter.
The general public is requested to disregard reckless statements by impostors, charlatans, unscrupulous social climbers and pretenders whose major objective is both mischievous and shady.
“Ohanaeze believes that any person with a democracy credential will dissociate self from a person whose public conduct is at variance with democratic norms; and that the Aguene endorsement of a presidential candidate is hollow.
“It is therefore emphasized that the person who has the right and mandate to make statements on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos is the President, Chief Sunday Ossai.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the misleading impression that Ohanaeze dumps Obi is from the pit of hell and meant to serve private interest. Such a statement is hereby vehemently debunked.”
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Politics
APC Sweeps Enugu LG Election, Wins All 17 Chairmanship, 260 Councillorship Seats
APC Sweeps Enugu LG Election, Wins All 17 Chairmanship, 260 Councillorship Seats
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all 17 local government area chairmanship seats and all 260 councillorship positions in the Enugu State local government election held on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
The results were declared on Sunday by the Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Professor Christian Ngwu, after the completion of the collation exercise.
Ngwu announced that APC candidates secured the highest number of valid votes in all 17 local government areas and were consequently returned as elected chairmen. The commission also declared APC candidates winners of the 260 councillorship positions across the state’s 260 wards.
The outcome gives the APC control of the elected leadership of all 17 local government councils and the 260 political wards in Enugu State.
The election was contested by seven political parties, with voters choosing council chairmen and councillors across the state.
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Declaring the results, Ngwu said the successful candidates had satisfied the requirements of the law and recorded the highest number of valid votes in their respective constituencies.
He congratulated the winners and urged them to regard their election as a call to duty and an opportunity to serve the people. He also commended security agencies and other stakeholders who participated in the electoral process.
The declaration followed an election that recorded low voter turnout in several parts of the state. Reports from Enugu metropolis indicated that only a small number of voters were present at some polling units, while electoral materials arrived late at some locations.
The election also took place under significant movement restrictions. The state government and security agencies had restricted vehicular and human movement across Enugu on election day as part of measures to maintain security and ensure a peaceful exercise. Essential workers, accredited election officials and other authorised persons were exempted from the restriction.
Security agencies had also deployed personnel across the state’s 17 local government areas and 260 wards ahead of the election, while political parties, candidates and their supporters were urged to avoid electoral malpractice and actions capable of disrupting the exercise.
The 2026 result marks a change from the previous Enugu local government election held on September 21, 2024, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won all 17 chairmanship seats and all 260 councillorship positions.
With ENSIEC’s declaration and the presentation of certificates of return, the commission has concluded the announcement of the Enugu LG election results, confirming the APC’s sweep of the state’s 17 councils and 260 wards.
APC Sweeps Enugu LG Election, Wins All 17 Chairmanship, 260 Councillorship Seats
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Politics
2027: Lagos APC Steps Up Grassroots Mobilisation Ahead of Atiku, Obi Challenge
2027: Lagos APC Steps Up Grassroots Mobilisation Ahead of Atiku, Obi Challenge
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the party strengthening its grassroots mobilisation across senatorial districts, local government areas, wards and polling units.
The move comes as political parties continue to build their campaign structures ahead of the elections, with Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi among the presidential candidates listed for the 2027 contest.
For the 2027 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Peter Obi is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Obi’s running mate is Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who is also contesting on the NDC ticket.
The Lagos APC leadership says its immediate priority is to strengthen the party’s organisation at the grassroots and maintain regular engagement with voters across the state.
APC Lagos Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi said the party would decentralise its mobilisation efforts, placing particular emphasis on activities at the polling-unit level.
He described the strategy as “Operation Man Your Polling Booth”, under which party members would take responsibility for mobilisation and coordination around their respective polling areas.
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Ojelabi also said the party was targeting five million votes in Lagos from a projected electorate of about seven million. The five-million figure is an APC campaign target and should not be interpreted as an independently verified forecast of the party’s eventual votes.
The mobilisation drive follows the inauguration of a 1,235-member Lagos APC campaign council for the 2027 elections.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was named chairman of the campaign council, while Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat serves as deputy chairman and former Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as Director-General.
The wider campaign arrangement also includes prominent Lagos APC figures, including former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, who have been assigned roles within the party’s advisory and mobilisation structures.
The broader APC campaign structure also places emphasis on grassroots engagement and mobilisation, youth mobilisation, women mobilisation, community support and other areas.
Hamzat has urged party campaigners to rely on facts, data and verifiable records when engaging voters, saying campaign messages should focus on policies, projects and measurable achievements.
The Lagos APC has also directed its 2027 candidates to suspend overseas travel until after the election, with the party saying candidates should remain available for campaign and grassroots mobilisation activities.
Ojelabi has similarly called on party members to conduct their campaigns peacefully and avoid violence, hatred and other conduct that could undermine the electoral process.
The renewed Lagos APC grassroots mobilisation comes against the background of the 2023 presidential election in the state, when Peter Obi, then the Labour Party candidate, secured 582,454 votes, while Bola Tinubu of the APC polled 572,606 votes.
The political landscape has since changed significantly.
For the 2027 presidential election, Atiku is contesting under the ADC, while Obi is contesting under the NDC, with Kwankwaso as his running mate.
The new party alignments have also produced different campaign structures from those that existed during the 2023 election.
Within the NDC, the party has given Obi and Kwankwaso a role in nominating key officials of the presidential campaign council, while the separate Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has also developed its own support structure.
The relationship between the NDC’s formal structures and the Obi-Kwankwaso support movement has generated differing positions among party officials in some states, although other state chapters have said they are working harmoniously with the support groups.
Against this backdrop, the Lagos APC is focusing on consolidating its own grassroots political structure, with particular attention to senatorial districts, local government areas, wards and polling units.
Lagos remains a significant focus of national politics because of its large electorate and its importance in presidential and state-level elections.
As preparations continue, the APC and opposition parties are building their campaign machinery, mobilising supporters and seeking to strengthen their presence among voters across the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
2027: Lagos APC Steps Up Grassroots Mobilisation Ahead of Atiku, Obi Challenge
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Politics
2027: NDC State Chairmen Reject Obi-Kwankwaso Movement’s Parallel Structures
2027: NDC State Chairmen Reject Obi-Kwankwaso Movement’s Parallel Structures
State chairmen of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have rejected the creation of parallel political structures by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement (OK Movement) ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that support groups should not take over functions reserved for the political party.
The position comes amid an ongoing disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement over the organisation of the campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The dispute began after the OK Movement unveiled a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council on September 17. The structure included zonal and state coordinators as well as directors responsible for mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security, legal affairs and other areas.
The movement named John Ughulu as Director-General of the campaign council and Saadatu Sani as secretary.
The NDC subsequently dissociated itself from the council, saying it was not authorised or constituted by the party. National Chairman Moses Cleopas said the public should disregard the structure and stressed that only the party’s appropriate organs could constitute or announce an official NDC campaign council.
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The disagreement deepened after the OK Movement insisted that it was an independent political organisation with its own leadership, structures and internal processes.
The movement also said it would not collapse or surrender its national, state, local government and ward structures to the NDC.
However, NDC leaders have maintained that support groups can mobilise for the party’s candidates but should not establish structures that perform the functions of the political party or its official campaign organisation.
NDC National Leader Seriake Dickson has said support groups should complement the party rather than compete with it or operate as parallel structures.
The position has also received a response from Obi himself.
Obi, speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time, said the NDC was the political party to which he and his supporters belonged, while the OK Movement, Obidient groups and Kwankwasiyya should operate as support groups.
He also said the creation of a presidential campaign council by a support group was not appropriate and disclosed that he had not been consulted before the OK Movement announced its 59-member council.
Despite the disagreement, the NDC has taken steps towards establishing its own official campaign machinery.
The party previously gave Obi and Kwankwaso authority to nominate key officials of the NDC Presidential Campaign Council, including the Director-General, Deputy Director-General for the North, campaign spokesman, deputy spokesman, Head of New Media and finance officials, in consultation with the party leadership.
The latest disagreement therefore centres on the distinction between the official NDC campaign structure and independent support organisations backing the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
While NDC state chairmen have insisted on the authority of the party’s structures, the OK Movement continues to maintain that it has the right to retain its own organisational framework.
The parties and support groups have not indicated that the dispute has affected the candidacy of Obi and Kwankwaso, but the disagreement has become a prominent issue in the organisation of the 2027 opposition campaign.
2027: NDC State Chairmen Reject Obi-Kwankwaso Movement’s Parallel Structures
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