News
Edo APC Crisis: Court Stops Oshiomhole’s Faction from Removing Chairman
A Benin High Court on Friday restrained a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State from removing from office, the APC chairman in the state, Anselm Ojezua.
The political fight between the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, and the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has led to a factional crisis in Edo APC.
Both leaders parted ways after Mr Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, helped Mr Obaseki to succeed him as governor.
The Edo State APC chairman, Mr Ojezua, who is an ally of Mr Obaseki, was “removed” by the faction loyal to Mr Oshiomhole.
Justice V.O.A. Oviawe of the Benin High Court 10, while ruling on a suit filed by Mr Ojezua, granted an interim order that “the status quo as at 10/11/19 with regards to the chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo State chapter, be maintained pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice praying for an order of interlocutory injunction”.
Information regarding the court order was contained in a press statement issued on Friday evening by the Edo State Government House, and sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
Apart from Mr Ojezua, other applicants in the case includes Kenneth Asekhomhe, the deputy chairman of APC in Edo and Aisosa Amadasun, the state organising secretary of APC in the state.
Mr Lawrence Okah, the erstwhile secretary of the APC in Edo State, is among the defendants in the case.
The court would sit again on December 5 for hearing and determination of the main suit.
Mr Ojezua’s faction recently announced the “suspension” of Mr Oshiomhole from APC in Edo state.
The faction also removed the state secretary of the party, Mr Okah, apparently for being loyal to Mr Oshiomhole, prompting him (Mr Okah) to, in turn, team up with others to announce the removal of Mr Ojezua from office as the state chairman of APC.
Mr Okah and others had announced David Imuse, a retired army colonel, as a replacement for Mr Ojezua.
Besides the APC structure in Edo, the Oshiomhole-Obaseki power tussle has also spread to the Edo State House of Assembly. More than 10 of the elected state lawmakers, who are yet to be inaugurated, are currently on self-exile in Abuja for fear of their safety in Edo.
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.
Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
The simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has been factionalized ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.
While Uzodimma insists that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are reportedly leading a separate faction.
Another bloc within the forum has reportedly queued behind the duo of Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.
The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack in the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions have been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had made an official clarification regarding the alleged division.
