Politics
Pat Utomi Forms Shadow Govt • It’s an Abberation – FG
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said, “At a time when our nation is set to celebrate 26 unbroken years of presidential democracy, the idea of a so-called “shadow government” is an aberration
Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, was named head of the Ombudsman and Good Governance portfolio.
Prof. Pat Utomi, has inaugurated a shadow government composed of members from various opposition parties.
A shadow government is individuals or an organization providing counsel to government officials without being publicly accountable.
Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, was named head of the Ombudsman and Good Governance portfolio.
Others appointed to the policy delivery unit include Oghene Momoh, Cheta Nwanze, Daniel Ikuonobe, Halima Ahmed, David Okonkwo, and Obi Ajuga.
Other members of the shadow cabinet include Dr. Adefolusade Adebayo, Dr. Peter Agadah, Dr. Sadiq Gombe, Chibuzor Nwachukwu, Salvation Alibor, Bilkisu Magoro, Dr. Victor Tubo, Charles Odibo, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Eunice Atuejide, Gbenga Ajayi, and Dr. Mani Ahmad, as well as Peter Oyewole and Dr. Omano Edigheji.
Utomi said that the “Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government,” launched virtually on Monday evening, will function as a credible opposition force, highlighting the failures of the Bola Tinubu administration while offering ideas for better governance.
Utomi, however, justified the move, arguing that policy missteps by the current Federal Government had worsened poverty, driven multinational companies out of the country, and intensified terrorism in Benue and Plateau states, alongside rising insecurity and corruption nationwide.
The political activist expressed concern over what he described as the government’s resort to propaganda and the suppression of opposing views.
“The recent spate of defections to the All Progressives Congress provides further evidence that all is not well with democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
“The imperative is that if a genuine opposition does not courageously identify the performance failures of incumbents, offer options, and influence culture in a counter direction, it will be complicit in subverting the will of the people.”
He said the shadow cabinet—made up of figures drawn from several opposition parties—was created to respond to what he called a national emergency.
“Today, I bring to this pioneer body the desperate cries of a people troubled by how their reality seems bound for serfdom.
I challenge you to awaken these people who wrongly believe that everything is fine as long as they can manage a share of what little still trickles down from crude oil sales,” Utomi said.
Utomi stated that the shadow government would hold weekly cabinet meetings to assess government policies and propose practical alternatives.
He identified immediate priorities as the stimulation of production, the formulation of a coherent economic growth strategy, decentralisation of security, and constitutional reform.
The cabinet, he said, would also focus on providing alternatives in healthcare, education, infrastructure development, law and order, and policy monitoring.
However , in a swift reaction, the Federal Government kicked against the move, describing it as an aberration in a federal system of government.
In an interview with the Punch, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said, “At a time when our nation is set to celebrate 26 unbroken years of presidential democracy, the idea of a so-called “shadow government” is an aberration.”
Politics
PDP Governors Who Have Left the Party And Those Still in The Party
Seyi Makinde – Oyo State (South-West
This is a compilation of PDP Governors who have defected from the party to the APC since 2023 tilldate, and on the other hand, those who are still in the party.
Governors who have defected
- 1. Umo Eno – Akwa Ibom State (South-South)
2. Sheriff Oborevwori – Delta State (South-South)
3. Peter Mbah – Enugu State (South-East)
4. Douye Diri – Bayelsa State (South-South)
5. Siminalayi Fubara – Rivers State (South-South).
GOVERNORS STILL IN THE PARTY (as of December 2025)
Ahmadu Fintiri – Adamawa State (North-East)
Bala Mohammed – Bauchi State (North-East)
Caleb Mutfwang – Plateau State (North-Central)
Agbu Kefas – Taraba State (North-Central)
Dauda Lawal – Zamfara State (North-West)
Seyi Makinde – Oyo State (South-West
Source: The Punch
News
PDP Accuses Rivers Governor Fubara of “Self-Inflicted” Defection, Warns of Threat to Nigerian Democracy
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the formal defection of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “self-inflicted injury,” insisting that the governor voluntarily walked into the political trap that led to his exit from the party.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP invoked the Latin legal principle *Volenti non fit injuria* (“to one who is willing, no harm can be done”) to argue that Governor Fubara cannot claim abandonment or lack of support after choosing the path that culminated in his defection.
“Everyone who has followed the developments that culminated in this uneventful defection will recall that the Governor willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination,” the statement read.
“Having done so voluntarily, he cannot turn around and accuse our party, or any other person or group, of abandoning or not protecting him.
”The PDP commended civil society organisations and Nigerians who, it said, “freely stood up in his defence” throughout the protracted political crisis in Rivers State, adding that Governor Fubara “should have nothing less than praise” for those who supported him until he “capitulated.
”The party expressed pity for the governor and prayed he does not develop “Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with his captor,” while wishing him well in his new political home.
In a broader critique, the PDP described the Rivers crisis as evidence of the “dysfunctional nature of our democracy,” where powerful individuals wield federal might to suffocate political opponents and force them into submission.
“Democracy is terribly threatened by acts of this kind,” the statement continued, urging all well-meaning Nigerians to condemn what it called the “progressive decline of democratic norms.
”The opposition party further accused the ruling APC of pursuing a “one-party state” agenda and deliberately constricting Nigeria’s political space, warning that the country is sliding toward “electoral authoritarianism.”
“Nigerians and the global community must note that democracy is under severe attack in Nigeria. Everyone must rise together to oppose this ignoble trip toward electoral authoritarianism,” the PDP declared.
Governor Fubara’s defection marks the latest chapter in the long-running political feud between him and his predecessor, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, who remains a prominent figure in the PDP.
Politics
BREAKING: Governor Adeleke Joins Accord Party, Says Citizens, Workers Welfare Top Priority
I joined the Accord Party more than a month ago, precisely on November 6, as the platform to seek re-election in 2026.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State on Tuesday officially joined the Accord Party ahead of the party’s governorship primary, scheduled for Wednesday.
Adeleke resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last month before the party’s primary recently which produced Adebayo Adedamola as its candidate.
Adeleke formally announced his move to the Accord Party thus evening at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Osogbo, in the presence of national and state leaders of the party.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor confirmed that the Accord Party would serve as his new political platform to seek re-election in 2026.
Adeleke said that he joined the party on November 6 after extensive consultations with stakeholders.
“I joined the Accord Party more than a month ago, precisely on November 6, as the platform to seek re-election in 2026.
This was after weeks of consultation and deliberations with stakeholders and opinion leaders.
“We opted for the Accord Party because its mission of welfarism aligns with our passionate focus on citizens’ and workers’ welfare.
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