The Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has warned Governor Chukwuma Soludo not to commit treachery against the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the name of politics.

Umeh pointedly warned Soludo that his unwarranted attacks on Peter Obi would lead to a fight.

The lawmaker issued the warning while speaking at an unnamed gathering in the State, which was captured in a viral video.

Umeh unapologetically said any Igbo person who refuses to vote for Obi is an enemy of the race.

“People are saying that we have to support another person; if we do that, we are destroying ourselves. I’m an Igbo activist, and you can hear my voice in the Senate on all issues of national importance and particularly those that affect the Igbo.

“Peter is our conscience in this election. Any Igbo man who stands up to say we will not vote for Peter Obi is an enemy of the Igbo people, no matter who the person is.

“Nobody can try it here; I have been hearing a lot of things going on in this State. This government; I helped in installing it; nobody came here to be Governor of Anambra State since 2003 without my input. This one that his serving; I was a principal contributor to his ascending that office; he is holding that office in trust for all of us.

“Anything he does in that office, he must discharge it with honour and nobility, and it’s not by sabotaging our own brother.

“I’m saying it so that anybody who sees him can tell me that we don’t want to fight, but he should not commit what is called an abomination by wanting to destroy his brother in the name of politics.

“Nobody on the side is saying support Peter Obi. Everybody on the other side is saying support Tinubu. But we are saying let us stand for the truth. Peter Obi; this is the time, and if he makes it, the Igbo have made it.”

British Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has said US President Donald Trump deserves his party’s defeat in the country’s midterm elections, accusing him of abandoning conservative principles through his handling of the Iran war, trade policies and treatment of international allies.

Badenoch described the Republican Party’s electoral setback as “entirely self-inflicted” and criticised what she called Trump’s “dirty” style of politics during an interview with The Independent Editor-in-Chief, Geordie Greig, the newspaper reported at the weekend.

The Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, gaining at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts in a major blow to Trump and his Republican Party.

Asked whether Trump deserved the defeat, Badenoch replied: “Yeah. He has not been acting in the way that I would consider conservative.”

She faulted the US president’s tariff policies, threats against Canada and Greenland, and strained relations with Washington’s allies, arguing that his approach contradicted conservative principles of free markets and international trade.

“Where is the push for free markets and better trade… rather than protectionism, America first, the squabbling with allies? That’s not what conservatives do,” she said.

The Conservative leader also condemned Trump’s personal attacks on journalists and political figures, arguing that his conduct fell short of the standards expected of a statesman.

“Trump is very charming in person, but you see the way that he talks about journalists, about individuals. It doesn’t meet the standards a statesman should meet – always wanting to get dirty in terms of insults and so on,” she said.

Badenoch expressed particular displeasure with Trump’s remarks about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while describing his treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House as “awful”.

On the Iran war, however, she said she understood and supported Trump’s initial decision to launch military action, citing concerns over Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear weapons.

She nevertheless questioned the administration’s broader military objectives and the absence of a clearly defined strategy.

“We don’t want them getting nuclear weapons. But where’s the plan?” she asked.

Badenoch also revealed that she would have been comfortable with Trump losing the 2024 US presidential election to his Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris.

Asked which candidate she preferred, she responded: “I would say I like them both equally. Make of that what you will.”

Nigeria’s Flamingos have received a cash reward of $50,000 following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The reward was presented to the team on Saturday night by Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu, a sponsor of the National Sports Commission (NSC), during a special reception held in their honour.

The event was attended by several top dignitaries, including NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko; Director-General, Honourable Bukola Olopade; and Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.

The Flamingos are also expected to receive additional rewards in recognition of their outstanding achievement in Morocco.

Nigeria secured a historic 2-1 victory over Japan in Saturday night’s final in Rabat to emerge champions of the competition for the first time in the nation’s history.

The triumph marks a significant milestone for Nigerian women’s football and further underscores the country’s growing presence on the global stage.

Meanwhile, striker Oluebube Umejiaku has explained how the team recovered from their opening defeat to Poland to win the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Nigeria began their campaign with a 2-1 loss to Poland, despite Umejiaku scoring as a substitute. However, the team bounced back, treating every subsequent fixture as a final on their way to winning the competition.

The Flamingos defeated DPR Korea, Mexico and other opponents before overcoming Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final to claim the trophy.

Umejiaku, who started the tournament on the bench, became one of Nigeria’s standout performers, scoring crucial goals, including in the final, and winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.

Speaking to FIFA.com after Nigeria’s historic triumph, she said the players were determined to change their fortunes following the opening loss to Poland.

“When we lost the first game against Poland, everybody said we needed to wake up because we didn’t come here to look at anybody’s face and we have to take every game as a final. We don’t downgrade anything; we play and we put all our best into every game.”

Umejiaku also reflected on her journey from a substitute to one of the tournament’s most influential players, saying she remained hopeful of getting an opportunity to start.

“Every time I went to training and every time I slept, I told God that I’m praying for all the people that are starting. But when I wanted to start, I just told God that it is my time,” she said.

Another key contributor to Nigeria’s triumph was Awawu Bashiru, who initially had limited playing time under head coach Akeem Busari.

Bashiru played just 77 minutes between the opening match and the quarter-final against Venezuela before earning her first start against Brazil. She scored twice in that encounter and also opened the scoring in the final against Japan.

Reflecting on the team’s achievement, Bashiru credited their success to teamwork and the technical crew’s instructions.

“I’m so happy, I’m so excited and I’m so grateful,” she said. “The teamwork, instruction and listening to our coaches is why we got the goals and why we won the final. We are history-makers. We made Nigeria, and the millions of people there, proud.”

Busari, meanwhile, explained that his decisions to change the starting line-up were based on the players’ attitude, character and commitment rather than reputation.

“No matter how good you are, I’m a coach that plays on character,” Busari said of making those key changes. “It’s all about mindset, attitude and merit; if they’re there, you get your playing time. If they’re not there, you’re waiting to come in. As a coach, we want everyone to wire up and play together.”

Nigeria’s victory made the country the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the first from the continent to claim a women’s FIFA tournament title.

Umejiaku expressed confidence that the triumph would mark the beginning of more success for Nigerian and African women’s football.

“I’m very happy because now we have broken the chain,” Umejiaku added. “In Africa we always win – that’s a promise. We’ve won, and now we’ll be winning and winning, that’s just it. We thank God for everything.”

Bashiru also promised that Nigeria would return with the same determination at the next edition of the competition.

 “We can expect more from Nigeria,” Bashiru added. “We are winning and we’ll bring the same energy, the same zing, at the next U-17 Women’s [World Cup].”

Busari described the triumph as a major boost for African football, saying it demonstrated the continent’s growing competitiveness at youth level.