Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Thursday explained why he and other members of the G5 Governors’ Forum opposed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 elections. In response, Atiku fired back, describing the G5 members as "frustrated opportunists" desperate for political relevance. Similarly, the PDP accused Ortom of prioritising personal interests over any genuine commitment to fairness and equity during the election. Meanwhile, former presidential aspirant Dele Momodu also formally resigned from the PDP, alleging that the party had been hijacked by anti-democratic forces. Ortom, a prominent G5 member, said the group opposed the PDP because it disregarded the principles of equity, fairness, and justice. Speaking on Arise TV, he noted that after eight years of Northern leadership under President Muhammadu Buhari, the G5 had advocated for a Southern presidency. However, the PDP’s decision to nominate Atiku, another Northerner, contradicted that demand. “I acted as I did because we had expected the PDP to uphold equity, fairness, and justice, values I hold dear. “When the majority of PDP members supported a Northern candidate, we deemed it unjust. We’ve always stood for equity, fairness, and justice, and we felt the presidency should alternate between the North and South for eight years each,” he said. As chairman of the PDP’s zoning committee, Ortom noted that although the committee recommended an open contest, he personally pushed for a Southern candidate. He stressed that the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, had the final say, which led to Atiku’s candidacy. “I presented the committee’s report as it was, and the NEC made the final call. I couldn’t override the collective decision,” Ortom explained. On the role of Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the crisis, Ortom revealed, “We fought for Wike to be the PDP’s presidential candidate, but unfortunately, he didn’t secure the nomination. We also believed he should have been the running mate. I was part of the 20-member committee tasked with selecting a running mate, and 16 of us supported Wike. However, the candidate and the party leadership decided otherwise.” Ortom defended supporting opposition candidates in 2023, saying politics was based on interests. “Politics revolves around interests. There’s no permanent enemy or friend in politics. It’s about protecting the interests of your community, your people, and yourself,” he stated. He also addressed criticism that he and Wike tried to “destroy” the PDP by supporting opposition candidates. Ortom compared their strategy to that of other PDP members who backed Peter Obi of the Labour Party or Bola Tinubu of the APC. “Peter Obi wasn’t in the PDP, but we agreed on a strategic partnership to demonstrate our influence. Some of us supported Peter Obi, others supported Tinubu, and we ended up with the current government. If God has given us President Bola Tinubu, why shouldn’t we support him?” Ortom added. Looking to the 2027 elections, Ortom reaffirmed his support for a Southern presidential candidate and stressed the importance of respecting power rotation. “My position is clear. I will support a Southern candidate. I see no reason to support a Northern candidate in 2027. By 2031, if someone from the South expresses interest in the presidency, I will still advocate for it to shift to the North. That’s based on my belief in equity and fairness.” Ortom on criticism over alleged bias in Benue State politics, where he is accused of favouring the Tiv ethnic group, said: “I’ve fought for fairness and have advised other ethnic groups on what they need to do. I agree it’s unfair for one group to dominate the governorship since the creation of Benue State. However, politics also involves the majority. The Tiv people occupy Zones A and B, while the Idoma and Igede are in Zone C. It’s a matter of political dynamics, and I’ve encouraged other groups to organise and assert themselves.” On crisis in the PDP, he said: “As politicians, we understand that politics revolves around interests. There’s no permanent enemy or friend in politics. It’s about protecting the interests of your community, your people, and yourself.”

The internal divisions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have widened in the wake of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s death, with signs that loyalists of the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) may be preparing to break away from the party he co-founded. Buhari, who once commanded a loyal base of over 12 million voters, launched the CPC in 2009 before its merger into the APC in 2013. However, since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023, many of Buhari’s close allies have complained of marginalisation, triggering a wave of political realignments and defections that could impact the 2027 general elections. Key former CPC figures like ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal have already distanced themselves from Tinubu’s leadership. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) now says it has become the new political refuge for many of Buhari’s ideological loyalists. According to Punch, ADC interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, asserted that the coalition had absorbed a substantial portion of Buhari’s network. “Most of the Buhari loyalists are already with us. The majority of them, the entire North is already with our party,” he said. Abdullahi named Babachir Lawal, Abubakar Malami, Isah Pantami, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi among the high-profile Buhari loyalists now aligned with the ADC coalition. “That’s where Buhari stood,” he claimed, adding that the late president had encouraged such a movement before his passing. He further accused the Tinubu-led APC of vilifying Buhari during his lifetime. “Why would they remain part of the APC?” he asked. “President Tinubu’s government has blamed Buhari for almost every economic woe.”

Veteran journalist and Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In a resignation letter dated July 17, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of PDP Ward 4 in Ihievbe, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Momodu expressed deep concerns over what he described as the takeover of the party by "anti-democratic forces." He also announced his decision to join the opposition coalition under the ADC platform, aimed at challenging and unseating President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election. Momodu said, “I wish to inform you of my decision to resign from our political party, PDP, with immediate effect. “My reason is simple and straightforward. Our party has been unarguably hijacked by antidemocratic forces, from within and outside, in broad daylight. “It is, therefore, honourable to abandon the carcass of the party to them while the majority of us earnestly sign up with the new coalition party known as the African Democratic Congress (ADC).” Earlier in July, Momodu accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of being a mole in the PDP, having worked for the APC in the 2023 presidential election despite being in the PDP. “Without any doubt, people are leaving the carcass of PDP to Wike and his cronies, that’s all. It was a prophecy foretold,” Momodu said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has announced his immediate resignation from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In a letter dated July 14, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of PDP, Jada 1 Ward, Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Atiku cited irreconcilable differences that have arisen within the party as his reason for stepping down. He explained that the party’s current direction has strayed from its original founding ideals, prompting him to take this step. The letter reads, “I am writing to formally resign my membership from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect. “I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude for the opportunities I have been given by the Party. “Serving two full terms as Vice President of Nigeria and being a Presidential candidate twice has been one of the most significant chapters of my life. As a founding father of this esteemed Party, it is indeed heartbreaking for me to make this decision. “However, I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the Party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for. It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognizing the irreconcilable differences that have emerged. “I wish the Party and its leadership all the best in the future. Thank you once again for the opportunities and support.”

The factional Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, on Friday, described the party’s choice of Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, as its 2023 presidential candidate as a major blunder. According to him, the party should have opted for Faduri Joseph, a US-licensed nurse and accomplished entrepreneur active in several industries. Arabambi argued that, unlike Obi—whose political appeal he claimed is built largely on emotional rhetoric and simplistic solutions—Faduri champions a governance style anchored in accountability, transparency, and the disciplined leadership Nigeria urgently requires to confront its complex challenges. He also revealed that, as a result of Obi’s alignment with the African Democratic Congress coalition, plans are underway to expel him and his allies from the Labour Party. Arabambi made these remarks during a press briefing held on Friday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. He explained that at the heart of sacrificing Faduri for Obi in 2023 is political expediency above standard principle and that “This was more than a simple error of judgment but was a fundamental betrayal of Nigeria’s yearning for genuine transformation.” Arabambi explained, “Perhaps the most damning indictment of Obi’s candidacy is his ethnic polarisation that shadowed his campaign. “While Faduri stood as a truly national figure, with support cutting across regions, Obi’s movement, intentionally or not, became a vehicle for tribal sentiment. “His refusal to firmly denounce Kanu’s secessionist rhetoric, his selective outrage over insecurity, and his tendency to frame national issues through a partisan lens exposed a troubling parochialism beneath his “unifier” facade. “Nigeria does not need a president who excuses extremism for political convenience. It needs a leader who will uphold the rule of law while addressing legitimate grievances, something Faduri embodied, and Obi failed to possess.” He stated that Obi’s economic pronouncements are even more troubling such that during his recent interview on Channels TV, he allegedly deliberately misrepresented Nigeria’s debt profile, converting dollar-denominated debt into naira at an inflated exchange rate. Arabambi added that whereas “The truth is that Nigeria’s external debt has decreased under Tinubu, from $108.2 billion to $94.2 billion, a fact Obi conveniently ignored.” He stated that Faduri’s mission in 2023 which has still not changed and is unambiguous is anchored on rescuing Nigeria from the suffocating grip of corruption, inefficiency, and systemic failure. He disclosed further that “The Labour Party’s decision to sideline Faduri for Obi was a blunder with lasting consequences. Instead of a leader with depth, discipline, and a demonstrable blueprint for national renewal, Nigeria got a populist whose greatest skill is telling people what they want to hear. “The 2027 election must not repeat this error. Nigeria needs leaders like Faduri Oluwadare Joseph—men and women who understand that governance is not about slogans, but about substance, sacrifice, and systemic change.” Arabambi flayed the ADC coalition led by David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and El-Rufai urging them to return to their former party, the APC and join forces with President Bola Tinubu to clean up the mess created for Nigerians with the election of former President Muhammad Buhari in 2015. As for the involvement of Obi in the coalition movement, Arabambi said “Yes Obi was there when David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola were inaugurated as the leaders of the ADC coalition. “He was properly introduced as the leader of the Labour Party that came to support the coalition. We are not in support of that, so as far as we are concerned, we wish him well, he’s no longer part of the Labour Party.” “Plans are ongoing to expel him already. In our next NEC meeting, Peter Obi will be expelled alongside his other co-travellers.”

Presidential aspirants under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have reportedly resolved to sign a binding agreement to support whichever candidate emerges as the party’s flagbearer. One of the contenders, Rotimi Amaechi, revealed this to LEADERSHIP on Friday. WAFFI TV reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Amaechi, and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi have all declared their intention to run for president on the ADC platform. While speculation suggests the party might zone its ticket to the North to enable Atiku challenge President Bola Tinubu, the ADC’s interim national chairman, Senator David Mark, insisted the party has no anointed candidate. The former Senate President assured party members that his leadership would guarantee “absolute transparency.” Amaechi, however, noted that their commitment to back whoever wins the ticket is contingent on the conduct of a truly transparent primary, voicing concerns about possible manipulation of the process. “What we agreed in principle, and I must say there is a need to lay the cards on the table – what we agreed is that whoever emerges from a transparent primary will be supported by everyone. “But first, we need to sit down and define what we mean by transparent because it’s easy for someone to hijack the process and still call it transparent,” he said.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said that former President Muhammadu Buhari could not have won the 2015 presidential election without the vital backing of Tinubu and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Thursday night, Onanuga rejected recent remarks by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who claimed the merger that led to the creation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013 only added about three million votes to Buhari’s total. The APC was formed through the merger of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). Mustapha, on Wednesday, argued that Buhari already enjoyed a steady support base of over 12 million votes prior to the merger, suggesting the CPC’s alliance with ACN and ANPP had limited impact on his eventual victory over former President Goodluck Jonathan. Onanuga, however, disagreed, explaining that although Buhari had significant support in the North, he lacked the national reach needed to secure the presidency on his own. He noted that Buhari, despite his millions of votes, had virtually no presence in the South and relied on the ACN to achieve the “spread” necessary to win. According to Onanuga, the ACN delivered the crucial votes from the South that secured Buhari’s victory. “It was clear to ACN, a very strategic arm of that alliance, that without additional support, there was no way Buhari could have won the election. “Yeah, he was getting 12 million votes if you put all the 19 states together, but in the south, Buhari was nowhere. Buhari needed the spread. ACN had six. “Buhari got the votes he needed in those six states. They may not be in millions, but there were important votes. “He won in all those six states, and he got more than 25 per cent. At the end of the day, he won in about 25 states, more than the constitutional requirement of 24 states,” he said. Onanuga further stressed that the former president remained grateful for Tinubu’s role in making the 2015 victory possible. He said, “Buhari never forgot the help that Tinubu rendered to him. He wouldn’t have become president without Tinubu’s assistance.”

Mr. Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the September 2024 Edo governorship election, has expressed a profound sense of betrayal over the Supreme Court’s judgment against his candidacy. Reacting to the apex court’s verdict on Thursday, Ighodalo acknowledged the finality of the decision but stated, “I do not and cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice.” He made this known in a personally signed statement issued in Abuja shortly after the court delivered its ruling on the election dispute. ‎According to the PDP candidate, the election was not a contest but a robbery, stressing that it was “coordinated, deliberate and now, tragically validated by the highest court in the land”. ‎ ‎”While I will not and cannot obstruct any judicial pronouncement, no matter how flawed, I must never fear to speak truth to power,” he said. ‎ ‎According to him, like you, I feel a deep sense of betrayal. ‎ ‎”Not just by those who rigged the process, but by the very institutions we trusted to protect our democracy. ‎ ‎”You came out in hope. You voted for competence, for progress, for prosperity and now, we are told that your voice does not matter. ‎ ‎”That your freely given mandate can be trampled without consequence. ‎ ‎”I feel your pain. I share your anger. And I will never forget your courage”, he said.

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has called on the people of the Niger Delta to support the resolution by South South All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders to back President Bola Tinubu for a second term. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during an interview with select journalists, Otuaro praised the decision of South South APC governors and leaders to adopt President Tinubu as their sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election. He described it as a worthy move to reward a leader who has demonstrated genuine commitment and love for the region. Leaders of the APC from Edo, Delta, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States, alongside other South South stakeholders, met in Benin City on July 5, 2025, where they unanimously endorsed Tinubu’s reelection. Otuaro noted that the President’s dedication to the Niger Delta is evident in key appointments, initiation of major projects, creation of new institutions, and the sustained funding of existing agencies. He highlighted landmark actions by the Tinubu administration, such as signing into law the bills establishing the Maritime University in Okerenkoko, the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Ogoniland, the South South Development Commission, and strengthening of the NDDC and PAP. Otuaro further said, "His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has not hidden his intention to develop the South South and the Niger Delta, which explains why he has given this level of attention to the Lagos-Calabar Expressway. "I urge the South South and the Niger Delta people to embrace the informed position of the APC leaders to sustain the region in the position to attract more development through a listening leader. "I also advise the youths of the region and delegates of the Presidential Amnesty Programme not to allow themselves to be used by politicians with intentions inimical to the interest of the Niger Delta. “I know that many will soon besiege our streets with their deceptive antics out of desperation for votes. “We all can attest to what the President has done, and we are informed enough to know who is sincere with the desired development of our region. “What this President deserves is our continued support and contribution to his reelection in 2027.”

Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has reiterated his intention to run for president in 2027, dismissing rumours that he might join forces with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a running mate. Appearing on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, Obi firmly rejected claims that he was eyeing the vice-presidential position under Atiku or any other contender. “Nobody has ever discussed with me whether to be A or B or C,” Obi said. “I am going to contest for the President of Nigeria, and I believe I’m qualified.” Obi also clarified that the coalition of opposition parties, which recently adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform ahead of 2027, was not a departure from the Labour Party, nor was it an act of disloyalty. “There is nothing anti-party in the decision,” he explained. “We are not abandoning where we are. We are going there together. What is constant is that we have agreed to work together.” On his association with some political figures regarded by critics as controversial or having baggage, Obi argued that inclusive leadership was essential to national progress. “The job of a leader is to change,” he said. “You need everybody. If you want to serve, you must serve everybody.”