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Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has faulted President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Yelwata in Benue state after a deadly attack in the area.

Obi said the president’s excuse of bad roads was unacceptable, especially as he had already made it to Benue and had ample time to plan for the trip.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Obi said leadership demands sacrifice and presence during difficult times.

His words: “One of the consistent principles of leadership is the willingness to make ultimate sacrifices and take risks.

“A true leader does not make excuses or complain; he shows up, sacrifices, and provides solutions, especially in difficult times.”

The former Anambra state governor said while he does not support exposing the president to undue danger, citing bad roads as a reason for not visiting Yelwata falls short of leadership expectations.

“This visit happened days after the massacre, with enough time to plan appropriately,” he said.

He further stated: “Leadership is not about comfort; it is about sacrifice. It is about standing with your people, especially in moments of pain and tragedy.

“You cannot abandon your citizens in their hour of need. You don’t offer excuses when action is required.”

“Even if we accept that the roads were truly impassable — which they are not, as presidential aides and staff managed to navigate them — what happened to the use of helicopters?

“Are we saying a nation that boasts of a presidential air fleet could not airlift the President to Yelwata to condole with grieving citizens?” Obi queried.

He added that what the people of Benue needed was not protocol or explanation, but compassion and presence.

“The people of Benue did not need protocol or explanations. They needed empathy. They needed presence.

“The roads may be bad, but what is worse is the institutional neglect that brought us to this point,” he added.

The presidency has reacted to reports that President Bola Tinubu will dump Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reports had stated that the president is set to choose a different running mate in the buildup to the polls.

Speaking in an interview, Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy said the president’s decision on a running mate for the 2027 election will be made public after the All Progressives Congress convention in 2026.

Also describing the report about a plan to drop VP Shettima as a non-issue, Onanuga said a candidate must emerge before anyone talks about his or her running mate.

“That’s what happened under Buhari—he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once.

“Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate,” Onanuga said.

He further dismissed the claim that the is an existing rift between the president and his vice.

Reminded that when Tinubu governed Lagos State, he changed his deputy governors twice, Onanuga said it is wrong to claim that there is a pattern.

“So, it’s wrong to say he has a pattern of discarding deputies. There were specific political circumstances each time. That’s what I’m explaining,” he said.

Valentine Ozigbo, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the outcome of the party’s primary election in Anambra state.

Ozigbo approached the Federal High Court in Awka to seek the disqualification of Nicholas Ukachukwu, the party’s declared flagbearer for the 2025 governorship poll.

Ozigbo said the legal action is not a personal fight but a principled stand against impunity and disregard for party rules.

He wrote on Facebook: “Yesterday, at the Federal High Court in Awka, I stood not just for myself but also for justice, truth, and every Nigerian who believes in a better way.

“I seek a judicial review of breaches of the APC Constitution and the final outcome of the primary.

“If I succeed, I will be the governorship candidate of APC in the 2025 Anambra governorship election.”

He said the move is aimed at ensuring that integrity, due process, and fairness are upheld within the party’s internal processes.

“Our democracy cannot thrive where impunity reigns. Our people deserve better — and I will not relent until justice is served,” he stated.

He added that the future belongs to those who stand firm when it matters most.

“Let this be a reminder: the future belongs to those who refuse to look away when it matters most,” he said.

Governors across party lines have thrown their weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s proposed state-led security model as a solution to Nigeria’s persistent insecurity.

The resolution was reached following a meeting of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), which took place after Tinubu visited Benue state earlier this week.

Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo and chairman of the PGF, said the decision reflects a consensus to strengthen grassroots security and complement federal efforts.

Uzodimma said: “We’ve adopted Tinubu’s security plan.

“In our deliberations yesterday, following Mr President’s visit to Benue state, we reviewed the prevailing security architecture and reached a consensus on the urgent need to adopt the long-advocated state security system as a complement to federal efforts.”

He said Imo state has already embraced the model, deploying local structures to tackle insecurity effectively.

“In Imo state, we have proactively embraced this model, deploying it across the length and breadth of our communities.

“This has led to tangible progress in tackling security threats, enhancing response mechanisms, and restoring citizens’ confidence,” he said.

Uzodimma said the model in Imo continues to evolve through intelligence gathering, community engagement, and lawful enforcement strategies.

He added that while the states await further security directives from the presidency, they remain committed to their constitutional duty.

“Our resolve is unwavering, and our duty to the people remains our highest calling,” he said.

The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO USA) has written an official letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to take diplomatic action against key Nigerian political figures allegedly involved in the controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The petition, signed by NADECO USA Executive Director Lloyd Ukwu and addressed directly to President Trump at the White House, seeks a visa ban on Nigerian Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and the newly appointed Rivers State Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas.

Ukwu described the requested sanctions as a proportionate response to what he called the “serious involvement” of the trio in an “undemocratic act” that undermines constitutional governance in Nigeria.

In the letter, which was made available to the press on Friday, NADECO USA stated:
“The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO USA) wishes to bring to your attention a pressing matter of grave concern regarding the erosion of democratic principles in Nigeria.”

The group accused President Tinubu of initiating an unlawful power grab.

“On March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared an unfounded and unconstitutional state of emergency in Rivers State. He used this declaration to fraudulently grant himself extraordinary powers, as outlined in the Nigerian Constitution, allowing him to suspend the democratically elected Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Sim Fubara, his deputy, Dr. Ngozi Odu, and the members of the state’s House of Assembly.”

NADECO further condemned the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibas (Rtd) as the state’s administrator, calling it a violation of Nigeria’s constitution and international democratic norms.
“It is crucial to note that the President’s illegal actions could not have succeeded without the support of the Senate, led by Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio, as well as the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abas,” the letter said.

“This action not only undermines the democratic foundations of Nigeria but also disregards the will of the people of Rivers State, who elected their governor through a lawful democratic process.”

Calling on U.S. leadership to respond firmly, Ukwu said, “In light of this, I respectfully request that the President direct the United States Department of State to impose a visa ban on Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio and his family, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Tajudeen Abas and his family, and the illegal Administrator, Mr. Ibas, along with his entire family.”

“By taking this action, the United States would send a clear message that it will not tolerate actions that undermine democracy and the will of the people. I believe this measure would be a proportionate response to the serious involvement of Senator Akpabio, Mr. Abas, and Mr. Ibas in this undemocratic act,” he added.

“In addition to the actions mentioned above, NADECO USA will utilize all available legal and political avenues, both domestically and internationally, to ensure that Senator Akpabio, Mr. Abas, Mr. Ibas, and their associates are held accountable for their harmful efforts to undermine Nigeria’s emerging democracy and destabilize not only Rivers State but the entire Niger Delta region.”

The Vanguard for Probity and Accountability has accused the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) of extravagance amid ongoing financial controversies.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Joel Abba, national coordinator of the group, alleged that the NNPCL board has concluded plans to fly to Kigali, Rwanda, this Friday using five private jets.

He claimed the jets were arranged by the son-in-law of a highly influential politically exposed person and the entire trip would cost over N1 billion.

His words: “The discovery leaves more to be desired. To add salt to injury, the board has planned an extravagant trip to Kigali, Rwanda this Friday on five private jets, which amount to over a billion naira.

“This is absurdity taken too far. We are obviously being taken for granted by this crop of leaders manning our oil sector.

“Little wonder Nigerians have been paying heavily on petrol just for a few individuals to finance an obscene lifestyle.”

Abba also accused the NNPCL of financial recklessness, citing recent revelations by the senate over discrepancies totaling more than N210 trillion in the company’s audited accounts from 2017 to 2023.

The senate, during a hearing on Wednesday, gave the NNPCL one week to explain what lawmakers described as “mind-boggling” irregularities in accrued expenses and receivables in its financial statements.

Aliyu Wadada, chairman of the investigative committee, labeled the discrepancies as “unacceptable” and vowed that the Senate would exercise its full oversight powers to get accountability from the oil company.

Backing the Senate’s probe, Abba said the NNPCL has shown “crass insensitivity, arrogance, and a lack of accountability” and called on the upper legislative chamber to remain firm.

He said the situation raises serious questions about the use of public resources at a time when many Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship.

The 2023 presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo has slammed President Bola Tinubu over his failure to visit Yelewata town, where suspected armed herdsmen killed over 200 people.

Adebayo said the president’s inability to visit the town over the claim of bad roads and flooding is unbelievable.

Recall that President Tinubu on Wednesday, June 18, visited Makurdi, Benue State’s capital city.

During the visit, Tinubu met with some victims of the attack at the hospital.

He further headed to the Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House where he attended the Stakeholders’ Town Hall meeting.

At the meeting, the president said, “I aborted my visit to Yelewata town because of the rain, flood and bad roads.”

However, reacting to the visit, Adebayo said the president should have insisted on visiting Yelewata town.

Stating that Tinubu’s excuse for not going to the community that was attacked is not tenable, Adebayo said no part of the country should be inaccessible to the president.

“He (the president) should have made sure that come rain, come shine, he got to the venue of the attack, Yelewata, and he saw the people.

“He cannot say as commander-in-chief, there is a part of the country that is unreachable by you. People are living there,” Adebayo said.

In a landmark ruling yesterday, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal overturned a 2013 Federal High Court judgment in the case of RCN Networks Ltd v. Guaranty Trust Bank PLC (CA/L/888/2014), effectively restoring ownership of a 44-room mansion valued at ₦30 billion to Alhaji Agboola Abiola, son of the late June 12, 1993, presidential election winner, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola.

The Federal High Court’s original decision had led to what the Appellate Court described as the “unlawful foreclosure” of the property by Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank). In its unanimous judgment, the three-member panel held that the trial court “ignored glaring discrepancies on the execution page” of a tripartite legal mortgage registered against the mansion at the Lagos State Land Registry.

Among the defects noted by the Appeal Court was that the mortgage document was never signed by Alhaji Abiola, the alleged mortgagor. The court also highlighted that its footer contained “handwritten alterations not present on other pages,” which the Appellant had argued pointed to outright forgery by GTBank. These deficiencies, the court concluded, rendered the mortgage “so deficient that it was incapable of conferring on the said bank any legal rights to foreclose on the property.”

Upon establishing these facts, the Court of Appeal discharged all charges and encumbrances that GTBank had levied on the property in favour of RCN Networks Ltd. Dr. Charles Adeogun-Phillips, SAN, appeared for the Appellant, while Mr. Norrison Quakers, SAN, represented GTBank.

The decision not only vindicates the Abiola family’s claims but also sets a significant precedent on the strict requirements for mortgage documentation and execution in Nigeria’s land registration system.