Headlines
Iran’s Intelligence Chief Killed in US-Israeli Strikes
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, was killed in airstrikes on Tehran on Monday, April 6, according to Iranian state media and Israeli officials.
The strikes were part of a broader wave of attacks carried out by Israel and the United States across Iran, which killed more than 25 people, The Associated Press reported.
Explosions were heard across Tehran for several hours, with thick smoke rising near Azadi Square after one strike hit the grounds of Sharif University of Technology.
Iran responded by launching missiles toward Israel and Gulf states, with impacts reported in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, where four people were killed, according to local authorities.
Air defense systems were activated in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to intercept incoming missiles and drones.
The killing of Khademi marks one of the highest-profile Iranian military casualties since the start of the current escalation.
Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said the strikes would continue to target senior Iranian officials.
“Iran’s leaders live with a sense of being targeted…We will continue to hunt them down one by one,” Katz said.
Ceasefire efforts, Hormuz tensions
The escalation comes as mediators from Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey proposed a 45-day ceasefire, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to two regional officials cited by AP.
Neither Iran nor the United States has publicly responded to the proposal.
Meanwhile, US President, Donald Trump, has warned Tehran to reopen the strategic waterway, threatening further strikes on infrastructure if it fails to comply.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day… in Iran,” Trump wrote on social media.
Iranian officials rejected the ultimatum, with parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf calling the threats “reckless.”
The Strait of Hormuz is a key global energy route through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes in peacetime.
Casualties rise across region
Iranian authorities said at least 15 people were killed in a strike near Eslamshahr, southwest of Tehran, while additional casualties were reported in Qom and other cities.
Three more people were killed in a residential strike in Tehran, according to state television.
Since the start of the conflict, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran, though official figures have not been updated in recent days.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia has provided Iran with satellite intelligence on more than 50 Israeli energy grid targets to assist in ongoing strikes. The data shared by Moscow covers approximately 50 to 53 sites, all of which are part of Israel’s civilian infrastructure with no military purpose, Zelensky stated. He drew a direct parallel between these actions and Russia’s long-standing campaign against Ukraine’s power and water systems.
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
