News
Ex-Benue Gov Suswan Shuns ADC, Joins APC
Former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has officially joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, following his registration at his village in the Logo Local Government Area in the ongoing APC e-registration exercise.
Senator Suswam, who broke away from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year following disagreement with his successor, former governor Samuel Ortom, who took and retained leadership of the PDP even after leaving office, will be leading his mass following into the APC.
“Moments ago, the former governor of Benue State H.E. Sen. Gabriel Suswam, performed his first duty as a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress APC by registering in his Mbagber Council Ward, in Logo Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria,” a brief statement posted by his media aide, Bartholomew Bede, on his verified social media page, read.
The former governor was captured on the party’s ongoing e-registration platform.
The exercise was conducted by the state organising secretary, James Ornguga, and Angura Bishop.
Ornguga, on behalf of the state chairman, presented the new membership card to Suswam.
Gov ‘Expelled From PDP’
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has distanced itself from the defection of the former governor from the PDP, noting that he had long exited the party when he led his followers to relaunch the African Democratic Congress in Benue.
The statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Tim Nyor, said the claim making the rounds that Suswam decamped from the PDP into the APC was false.
It revealed that the former governor had long fallen within this category of members who had failed to pay membership subscription for a continuous period of 12 months, and was “accordingly, expelled from the PDP during the period of his active and open association” with the ADC.
“By implication, one cannot resign from a party of which one is no longer a member,” it said in the statement.
“First, the purported resignation is coming several months after Senator Suswam had left the PDP and repeatedly aligned himself with a political coalition outside the party. This alignment was neither subtle nor speculative.
“He attended multiple meetings of the coalition, actively participated in its public unveiling in Benue State, and went as far as donating personal property for use as its secretariat, after evicting the PDP from the same premises.
“In light of these overt actions, it raises a fundamental question as to why Senator Suswam had to address his “resignation letter” to the PDP at this stage, rather than to the political platform he had clearly embraced long before now.
“Secondly, pursuant to Section 8 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party, any member who fails to pay membership subscription for a continuous period of twelve (12) months automatically ceases to be a member of the party.
“Senator Suswam had long fallen within this category and was, accordingly, expelled from the PDP during the period of his active and open association with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). By implication, one cannot resign from a party of which one is no longer a member,” the statement added.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned social media personality and self-acclaimed relationship adviser, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged N36 million fraud.
Blessing CEO was arraigned on Friday before Justice D.I. Dipeolu on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and alleged theft involving N36 million
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly obtained the money from one Mrs. Ifeyinwa Nonye Okoye under the pretext of securing a six-bedroom duplex in Lekki, Lagos — a claim prosecutors said she knew to be false.
During proceedings, defence counsel P.I. Nwafor informed the court that the defendant had refunded N24 million to the complainant and requested a short adjournment to allow discussions over the outstanding balance.
“We have an application to make. The defendant approached the nominal complainant and refunded N24 million out of the N36 million.
“We are asking for a short adjournment to resolve the outstanding balance. The nominal complainant agreed that if the balance is paid, they can prevail on the EFCC to drop the case,” the lawyer said.
However, prosecution counsel S.I. Suleiman opposed the request, insisting that the commission was not involved in any private settlement arrangement.
“The complainant here is the Federal Government of Nigeria, and we are here for the arraignment. We urge that the defendant take her plea, as that is the business of the day,” he argued.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Dipeolu held that settlement talks could continue independently but would not stop the arraignment process.
“The defence and the nominal complainant can have discussions even during the pendency of the charge. It does not affect the proceedings before the court. The defendant will take her plea,” the judge ruled.
One of the charges alleged that between July 14 and 17, 2024, Blessing CEO fraudulently obtained N36 million from the complainant over a purported property lease in Lekki.
Another count accused her of unlawfully converting the money to personal use, contrary to provisions of the Criminal Code Act.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following her plea, the prosecution asked the court to commence trial and remand her in a correctional facility, while the defence requested that she remain in EFCC custody pending bail arrangements.
Justice Dipeolu subsequently ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody and adjourned the matter to June 5, 2026, for commencement of trial.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has narrated how his principal almost sacked him because of Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot.
He said he almost lost his job during the Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa impeachment saga.
Recall that lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly had said that Obasa was impeached to save the integrity and sanctity of the House of Assembly and Lagos State.
The lawmakers, while jointly addressing journalists at the Assembly Complex, said: “It’s just a change of baton. It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable.”
However, with President Tinubu against the impeachment, the Speaker was restored and peace returned to the Assembly.
Addressing members of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, Gbajabiamila said, “I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. Mr President called me to his house in Abuja during the Lagos Speaker Obasa saga.
“He said, ‘I hear this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you,’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir. He is one of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly.’
“Immediately, I told the president that Desmond wasn’t part of them, but the president replied and said that, from the intelligence he received, Desmond was part of them.
“After that meeting, I called Desmond and told him what the president said, and asked him to leave the group if he was part of them. Three days later, the DSS DG called me and said there was a problem.
“He said your name is being mentioned, that you’re the one behind the impeachment saga and that you’re supporting Desmond.
“I spoke to the DSS DG and told him I had spoken to Desmond and he denied being part of the group. I then asked Desmond to make a public statement denying his involvement in the impeachment saga, but till today, he hasn’t done it.”
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.
