Headlines
Igbo Presidency: Ohanaeze, Church Leaders Hold Rally
Ohanaeze Ndigbo and some church leaders have fixed December 27 for street rallies to campaign for Igbo presidency in 2023.
They also said they had concluded arrangements to write the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the leadership of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party to notify them of the need to zone the 2023 presidency to the region.
They said the rallies would hold in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states simultaneously.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chairman in the Diaspora, Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, disclosed these to journalists in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
He said, “Those we are considering for the presidential seat from Igbo are present and past governors, senators and House of Representatives members from the zone who are performers.
“We envision a Nigeria where leadership is based on the ability to work hard, where fairness reigns with a sense of direction and accountability to the various groups and for the common good of the country.
“It’s now the turn of the South-East to provide good leadership for the good of all Nigerians so as to move Nigeria in a positive direction.”
Anakwenze noted that the Igbo would need the support of other regions to produce the next president.
“We believe in alignment. We cannot get the presidency by ourselves, even if all the Igbo vote. We are already working with people from other zones and we are in talks with them already,” he said.
In a related manner, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, will lead a delegation of the pro-Biafra group, Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, and other youth groups to meet with Buhari regarding the Igbo presidency in 2023.
MASSOB leader, Mr Uchenna Madu, disclosed this on Friday at the Government House, Enugu, after a joint meeting with the governors of the region, leaders of thought, ministers and National Assembly members as well as traditional and religious leaders from the region.
Madu, who read a 10-point demand of the Igbo youths, had earlier demanded that the Ndigbo should be allowed to produce a president in 2023.
“We demand that the South-East be given the opportunity to produce the president of Nigeria in 2023,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okoroch, says South-East political leaders have resolved to shelve their party differences to work for the interest of the region ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Okorocha, who spoke on the sidelines of South-East leaders meeting held in Enugu on Thursday night, disclosed that Igbo leaders had also taken a decision to properly mentor and empower the youths in readiness to take over from them.
The ex-governor, who is representing Orlu Senatorial District of Imo State in the Senate, said the #EndSARS protests against police brutality which was later hijacked by those with a different motive, was a wake-up call for the South-East and Nigerian leaders to rise to their responsibilities towards the people and the youths in particular.
The Punch
Veteran journalist and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has declared that a joint presidential ticket between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi represents the strongest strategy for the opposition to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Momodu said the emerging ADC coalition is gaining momentum as a credible alternative to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which he accused of promoting “one-man rule” and weakening democratic institutions.
Momodu argued that an Atiku–Obi ticket offers both experience and electoral appeal, noting that both politicians already command significant national followings from previous elections. He recalled their collaboration in 2019, adding that Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election provides a ready base of supporters that can be consolidated.
According to him, the coalition is further strengthened by the involvement of political heavyweights such as Rabiu Kwankwaso and Rotimi Amaechi, making it a formidable opposition alliance.
“The candidates who placed second, third, and even fourth are aligning. That naturally builds a strong challenge,” Momodu said, suggesting that this development could unsettle the APC ahead of 2027.
He also accused the Tinubu administration of centralising power and undermining democratic processes, claiming that key institutions—including the legislature and electoral system—are increasingly influenced by the executive arm of government. He warned that such a trend poses risks to Nigeria’s democracy.
Momodu further alleged that opposition parties face systemic obstacles, including difficulties in accessing venues, legal pressures, and institutional interference. He argued that these challenges have made opposition unity not just strategic, but necessary.
Dismissing concerns about possible cracks within the ADC coalition, Momodu described such fears as speculative, insisting that current political realities have effectively forced major opposition figures to work together.
The Supreme Court has scheduled hearing for April 22 in the appeal filed by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, in relation to the leadership dispute in the party.
Mark’s appeal is against the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his appeal against the September 4, 2025 ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja refusing to grant some injunctive reliefs contained in an ex-parte application filed by a chieftain of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba chose the date on Tuesday after granting accelerated hearing in the appeal marked: SC/CV/180/2026.
The court ordered Mark’s lawyer, Jibril Okutepa (SAN) to file the appellant’s brief and serve on Wednesday.
It ordered the respondents to each file and serve on the appellant, a respondent’s brief within three days of being served with the appellant’s brief.
The appellant, according to the court, is to file a reply brief, if needs be, within one day of being served with the respondents’ briefs.
Headlines
Amid Denials, ADC Reportedly Secures Rainbow Event Centre As Venue for National Convention
Baring any last minute change, the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as National chairman and National Secretary respectively will hold the party’s National convention at the National Rainbow Event Centre in Garki on Tuesday, 14 April 2026.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has being denied two venues without any cogent reasons despite early arrangements, according to sources.
First, it was alleged that the Abuja Transcorp Hilton Hotels, which was initially approached, turned down the ADC request to use it’s facility.
The ADC, having sensed sabotage, has kept the Rainbow Event Center under rap as it’s definite venue.
The last National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party was held at the same venue.
Located adjacent the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, the event centre will host the second NEC meeting of the ADC and it’s forthcoming national convention.
According to The Guardian’ report, the ADC leadership has communicated the venue to state chapters with the caveat not to escalate it.
The ADC is in a battle of survival against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and has approached the Supreme Court for intervention.
The INEC national chairman Prof Joash Amupitan has suspended recognition of the David Mark-led ADC rendering a leadership vacuum in the party.
INEC said it’s decision was on the basis of an Appeal Court pronouncement that ordered statusquo ante-bellum be maintained.
Reports say that why the venue is being quietly decorated moderately for the event, the ADC intends to fully move in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Guardian
