Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has dismissed the growing alliance of political heavyweights seeking to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, describing the coalition as a mere distraction that is bound to fail.

Speaking to a group of journalists and politicians in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said Nigerians will stand behind the President to ensure the full realisation of his reform agenda.

He specifically criticised the anti-Tinubu coalition taking shape under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), labeling it a distraction unworthy of the President’s attention.

“Nigerians will never go back to Egypt,” Sanwo-Olu declared, adding that the motive behind the alliance is to derail the progress made under Tinubu’s leadership.

“The target is to distract the Commander-in-Chief and derail the social and economic gains that we can see and feel, but President Tinubu knows the game and will never fall for their bait,” he said.

The coalition includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, ex-Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governors Nasir el-Rufai and Rauf Aregbesola.

While some view the group as a credible alternative platform, Sanwo-Olu insisted it is simply an assembly of disgruntled politicians.

He argued that the President’s record — from stabilising the foreign exchange market to launching a national student loan scheme and initiating far-reaching tax reforms — offers a compelling case for continuity.

Sanwo-Olu also pointed to increased oil production, infrastructure development, enhanced revenue allocation to states following fuel subsidy removal, and the national minimum wage review as further evidence of progress.

“President Tinubu is not only a builder of men but a visionary leader whose impact is evident across the nation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Asked whether the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was concerned about the ADC or its backers, the Governor responded: “No one should be concerned or distracted by what ADC or any other group is attempting to orchestrate.

The truth is clear, the people can see the difference, and history is on his side.”

“They have nothing but bitterness to offer; they are bound together by their illogical resentment against President Tinubu, not by any edifying ideology. They will run out of steam.”

On what advice he would give the President amid growing opposition rhetoric, Sanwo-Olu said: “Simple.

The President should stay the course. Millions of well-meaning Nigerians across party lines and compatriots, who understand what it takes to govern the most populous black nation on earth and revive a troubled economy, are behind him and trust his leadership.”

“We know how far we’ve come under President Tinubu’s leadership. The focus should remain on delivering results, deepening reforms, and building a stronger Nigeria. Any attempt to shake that foundation will be futile,” he added.

Senator Godswill Akpabio has expressed feelings of vindication following a court verdict that has upheld the current seating arrangement within the Nigerian Senate.

Akpabio says he feels vindicated by Friday’s court judgement which he said sustained the decision of the senate to reassign a new seat to suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

This outcome has been warmly received by Senator Akpabio, who has publicly stated his satisfaction with the court’s ruling.

The impact of this ruling will likely extend beyond the individual Senator, potentially influencing the dynamics of the Senate as a whole.

According to Akpabio, the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, gave the Order which vindicated him in the case filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to challenge her referral to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions as well as her subsequent suspension.

He said the court upheld his application that borders on contempt, and ruled that the publication was contemptuous, deliberately ridiculing both the Senate President , the judicial process, and deemed it necessary to impose a ₦5 million fine on Akpoti-Uduagan payable to the Federal Government.

Akpabio said it was on the strength of this that the court order Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish a public apology within seven days in two national newspapers and on the same Facebook page where the contemptuous publication was made.

On the substantive suit, Akpabio said the court also resolved all the questions for determination against Akpoti-Uduaghan when it ruled that the Senate has the constitutional authority to discipline its members for violating its Standing Orders; and that his action in reallocating Senator Natasha’s seat, was lawful and within his administrative powers under Section 6(1) of the Senate Standing Rules.

The senate President was however silent on the position of the court to reinstate the suspended senator , representing Kogi Central after the court pointed out that the punishment was too stringent as it it capable of denying the people of Kogi central representation in the senate.

The court’s decision reinforces the established protocols, and the Senate is expected to continue its proceedings as usual.

A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Senate to recall the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

In March, Natasha was suspended by the Senate for six months for alleged gross misconduct, days after a face-off with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over a change of sitting arrangement in the chambers during plenary.

She consequently accused Akpabio of making sexual advances at her and later petitioned the United Nations over the issue.

In a ruling on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako described as “excessive”, the six-month suspension that was slammed on the lawmaker by the Senate.

The court faulted the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules as well as section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act, declaring both as overreaching.

The court stressed that the two legislations failed to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office.

According to the court, since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative circle, suspending a lawmaker for roughly that same length of time effectively silences the voice of an entire constituency.

“While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation,” Nyako ruled.