Politics
UPDATED: Court sacks 20 Cross River lawmakers
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked two members of the House of Representatives and 18 members of the House of Assembly from Cross River State over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP had challenged their defection, saying there was no division in the party that warranted such.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Assembly, Clerk of the National Assembly, Cross River State House of Assembly, Clerk of the State House of Assembly and the APC were also joined as defendants in the suit.
A similar case challenging the defection of Governor Ben Ayade is due for judgement on Friday.
The federal lawmakers affected by the court judgement are Michael Etaba, who represents Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency and Legor Idagbor, representing Obudu/Obanliku/Bekwarra.
Cross River Speaker Eteng Williams and his deputy, Joseph Bassey were also among those sacked.
The others are Odey Peter Agbe, Okon E. Ephraim, Regina L. Anyogo, Matthew S. Olory, Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, Ogbor Ogbor Udop, Ekpe Charles Okon, Hillary Ekpang Bisong, Francis B. Asuquo, Elvert Ayambem, Davis Etta, Sunday U. Achunekan, Cynthia Nkasi, Edward Ajang, Chris Nja-Mbu Ogar and Maria Akwaji.
The judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, while delivering judgement on a suit instituted by the PDP to challenge the lawmakers’ defection, dismissed all the preliminary objections raised by the sacked lawmakers.
“A day must surely come when elected officials, must ask the people who voted for them before defecting to other political parties,” Justice Taiwo said.
According to the judge: “The lawmakers wined and dined under the umbrella of the PDP,” but jumped ship to the APC even when there was no justification for their action.
“The defendants court documents were contrived and filed with loopholes. The papers are manifestly defective,” the judge said while granting all the reliefs sought by the PDP.
The lawmakers defected alongside Ayade, last year triggering a lawsuit by the PDP on August 27, 2021.
The PDP’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), sought the court’s interpretation of the provisions of Section 109(1)(g) of the constitution, which prohibits a lawmaker from defecting to another political party without justifiable reasons.
Ukala also drew the court’s attention to the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Abegunde versus Ondo State House of Assembly (2015).
He contended that the lawmakers being persons whose election to the parliament was sponsored by the PDP and having become members of another political party, their seats should be declared vacant.
In the court papers filed before the judge, the PDP prayed for “an order of injunction restraining the lawmakers from acting as members of parliament both in Abuja and Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The plaintiff also sought “an order of injunction restraining INEC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, clerk of the National Assembly, the House of Assembly for Cross River State and the clerk of the State Assembly from according recognition to the dismissed lawmakers.”
In addition, the party urged the court to make “an order of mandatory injunction compelling INEC to accept from the PDP the list of candidates for the purpose of filling the vacancies created by the exit of the lawmakers from the parliament on account of their defections.”
In its verdict, the court held that despite the fact that the major cause of action arose in Calabar, it has both “territorial and subject matter” jurisdictions to entertain the suit.
The judge agreed with the plaintiff that there was no rancour within the PDP to create the opportunity for the lawmakers to ditch their former party on whose platform they emerged in the 2019 general elections.
“That at the time the lawmakers defected from the PDP to the APC, the PDP did not have division in the party,” the judge said.
The lawyer to the sacked lawmakers, Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the court’s decision would be challenged at the Court of Appeal.
THE NATION
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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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