Headlines
Atiku Will Unite Nigeria, Support Group Replies Ortom
A support group of the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Support Organisation, said Atiku Abubakar would unite Nigeria and be President for all Nigerians if voted for in the 2023 elections.
The ASO made this assertion in response to Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom’s comment that Atiku is an agent of Miyetti Allah.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Victor Moses, the ASO stated that Ortom’s comment was “to say the least, most unfortunate, disappointing, and a misinformation.”
The statement, which was titled, ‘Atiku will be President for all Nigerians – Atiku Support Organisation – ASO tells Gov Samuel Ortom’, added that Ortom had in the past said kind words about the former vice president and his vision to build Nigeria and asserted that Ortom’s latest comment “only suggest(s) a deliberate act of campaign of calumny, misinformation, and misrepresentation of the important values of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.”
“It is on record that Gov Samuel Ortom had, in the past, said a lot of great and kind words about Alh. Atiku Abubakar and his vision to rebuild Nigeria. Due to Atiku Abubakar’s love and commitment to the Tiv nation, he was crowned the Zege Mule U Tiv. To hear Gov Ortom speaking from the other side of his mouth due to a post-primary conundrum only suggest a deliberate act of campaign of calumny, misinformation, and misrepresentation of the important values of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“If there is any Nigerian politician in the 21st century who values Nigerians beyond our ethnic and religious fault lines, it’s Atiku Abubakar.
“If there is any who has built bridges across the divide, it’s the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alh. Atiku Abubakar.
“If there is any whose chief mission is to unite Nigeria and give every religion and tribe a sense of belonging for national rebirth and development, it’s Alh. Atiku Abubakar.
“His plans to revamp the national security system for effectiveness and efficiency have been clearly stated in his covenant with the people of this country. He has made it clear that there won’t be a sacred cow in his fight against insecurity.”
The ASO, therefore, asked Governor Ortom to withdraw his statement and disengage from campaign of calumny, while asking the Benue governor to support Atiku in the general election.
It stated, “We call on our respected Gov Samuel Ortom to rescind his statement, disengage from the campaign of calumny and misinformation against the presidential candidate of his own party, the PDP and support the son of the Tiv land, the Zege Mule U Tiv in the forthcoming elections in February.”
The Punch
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
