Author: Gbenga Olaleye

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has dismissed as illegal the purported dissolution of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara. The move was announced on Friday by a faction of the party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed, who also declared Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as the new BoT Chairman. George, however, faulted the action, insisting that Mohammed and his group lacked the constitutional authority to dissolve the party’s highest advisory body. “Who made Mohammed…

Russia has said it is closely monitoring developments in Nigeria following comments by United States President Donald Trump suggesting possible American military intervention in the country. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said her government was “closely observing the situation” and urged all sides to act responsibly and within the bounds of international law. “We are closely monitoring this issue and call on all parties involved to strictly comply with international legal norms,” Zakharova told reporters in response to a question from Anadolu News Agency. The remarks came after Trump claimed…

Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, has strongly criticised former United States President Donald Trump for calling Nigeria a “disgraced country” and threatening military action over alleged killings of Christians. Jibrin described Trump’s remarks as “un-American” and “a violation of international law,” urging him to retract the statement and apologise. Speaking in a widely circulated video on Friday, the lawmaker said, “For the president of the United States to come and say, ‘Nigeria is a disgraced country,’ is quite unacceptable. He should retract that statement and apologise to Nigeria.” He maintained that Trump’s position breached diplomatic decorum, adding that…

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has extended the online registration period for its 2025 Batch ‘C’ mobilisation by an additional 48 hours, following complaints of network difficulties from prospective corps members. The extension was announced in a statement released on Friday by the scheme’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu. According to the NYSC, the delay experienced by some prospective corps members (PCMs) during the registration process was caused by network-related challenges affecting the system. “The management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has noted the difficulties being faced by some Prospective Corps Members in the…

Governors of Nigeria’s South-West states, as well as those of Kogi and Kwara, have been urged to prepare for the potential repercussions of a proposed United States military strike on terrorist hideouts in the country. The warning came from the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM) in a statement released on Friday, signed by its General Secretary, Poloola Ajayi, and Publicity Secretary, Suleiman Sanusi. The alert follows comments made last week by former US President Donald Trump, who claimed that Christianity in Nigeria faced an “existential threat” from radical Islamist groups. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump vowed that…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a senior officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Deputy Superintendent Sani Yakubu, before a Kaduna State High Court on a three-count charge of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds. According to a statement released on Friday by the ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, Yakubu was brought before Justice Isiaka of High Court 12, Kaduna, on Monday, 4 November 2025, for allegedly diverting ₦1,720,000 belonging to Mrs Vennica Idoko. The statement explained that the money had been entrusted to Yakubu in his official capacity…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated veteran journalist, author, and former presidential adviser Dr Reuben Abati on his 60th birthday, describing him as an accomplished public intellectual and patriotic commentator who has made immense contributions to Nigeria’s media and public discourse. In a statement personally signed by the President on Friday, Tinubu lauded Abati, whom he affectionately called “Rubi Rubi,” for his versatility and excellence across multiple professional fields. “A public intellectual, author, columnist, law graduate and broadcaster, Dr Abati has distinguished himself wherever he has traversed, in the university as a student and later as a Graduate Assistant, as Chairman…

The Chairman of the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), Apostle Dr Emmanuel Kure, has described the recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Concern” by United States President Donald J. Trump as a welcome and long-overdue call to conscience. In a statement made available to New Daily Prime on Tuesday, Apostle Kure said the designation had drawn much-needed global attention to what he described as “the plight of Christians in Northern Nigeria.” “At last, someone, somewhere, has taken notice of the plight of Christians in Northern Nigeria, a plight our own government has consistently failed to acknowledge, let…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday commenced the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials across Anambra State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election. The exercise, held at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Awka, was supervised by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Queen Awgu, under heavy security presence. Party agents, security officials and observers were on site to witness the process. Dr Awgu explained that three key materials, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), Forms EC8A, and Forms EC8B, were dispatched to the 21 local government areas for onward movement to the Registration Area Centres.…

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has criticised the protest held by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the United States Embassy in Abuja, describing it as a “shameful last kick of a dead National Working Committee of tax collectors.” Fayose said the suspended National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagum, and his allies should have gone to Washington, D.C., to protest at the White House if they truly wished to involve the United States in their grievances, rather than, in his words, “embarrassing themselves at the embassy gate in Abuja.” In a statement issued on Thursday, the…