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Peter Obi disowns merger talks with PDP, Kwankwaso

Four days after New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso repudiated the proposed opposition alliance talks, his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, has disowned the plan.
Obi, former Anambra State governor, said there is no merger deal yet with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the NNPP or any other party.
He told reporters in Abuja that no agreement had been established with other parties on collaboration ahead of 2027.
However, Obi urged Nigerians to come together in 2027 and defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of mismanaging the country’s resources.
Obi described the security situation as unfortunate, saying that many Nigerians are losing their lives to banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping-for-ransom.
He said corruption and the cost of governance are high, leading to an astronomical increase in public debt under the Tinubu Administration.
Obi alleged that government officials mismanaged public funds in 2024 through incessant foreign travels.
However, the APC rejected the allegations, saying that they were unfounded.
The ruling party said the former LP presidential candidate is still nursing bitterness over his defeat in the 2023 poll.
Obi also said the country’s electoral processes are visibly flawed, lacking transparency and credibility.
He said the electoral processes fell below acceptable standards, adding that people’s votes no longer count.
Obi said the single most challenging test for the President is ensuring that future elections are credible and truly reflect the will of the people.
Obi said: “We hold periodic elections that are no longer genuine. Our electoral processes are visibly flawed, lacking transparency and credibility.
“Although Nigeria is a democratic country, the electoral processes fall far below acceptable standards, with the people’s votes often not counting.”
“All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation.
“This will ensure both productivity and the ability to service and amortise such loans, rather than continuing the current practice of accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns, which places undue strain on future development revenue.
“Furthermore, it is time for you to visit our national hospitals. Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our national hospitals or regional federal medical centres, such as the FMC in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi or Calabar or Umuahia or Akure, among others.
“This will allow you to assess the state of healthcare facilities available to Nigerians. It will also help you understand the condition of our hospitals and clinics, enabling you to make informed decisions on how to upgrade and make them efficient.
Endeavour to travel by road to observe the condition of most highways.
“You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar in Cross River State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State – a distance of less than 100 km, or from Benin in Edo State to Warri in Delta State.
“I recall taking President Olusegun Obasanjo on a trip from Awka to Onitsha on a federal highway when I was the governor of Anambra State.
“That journey prompted him to immediately approve the reconstruction of parts of the road by the Anambra State government, with subsequent reimbursement by the Federal Government. Such actions are immensely valuable.
“Make both impromptu and planned visits to our tertiary institutions, where our children and future leaders are being trained. It is essential to familiarise yourself with the available infrastructure, facilities, and amenities.
“These visits will provide valuable insight into whether the resources of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) are being utilised optimally and what is needed to sustain the education system.
“Mr. President, many Nigerians are ‘refugees’ and ‘exiles’ in their own country.
“Visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities and that you are working hard to restore peace and normalcy to the country. Nigeria is not a war-torn nation.
”To motivate the soldiers fighting terror, Obi said: “As Commander-in-Chief, visit our military formations and security agencies, especially during their field operations, and provide them with morale-boosting assurances and support for operational efficiency.
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2027: Hurdles Before The Coalition, By Emeka Monye

The 2027 presidential election in Nigeria is shaping up to be a crucial contest between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a potential coalition of opposition parties. Several hurdles need to be overcome for the opposition coalition to succeed.
The political class is already preparing for this quadrennial event, holding consultations, meetings, negotiations, among other contending factors.
The ruling party, The All Progressive Congress, appears to be the most beautiful bride at the moment as members of other opposition parties have been courting the party, in a gale of defections, in what many political pundits and analysts described as a political tsunami.
While the APC seems to be enjoying the foray of defections by other party members into their fold, the main opposition party, The Peoples Democractic Party, PDP, appears to have lost its steam in the run of play.
The once dominant party is plagued by a series of internal crises which many political analysts believe will be the party’s undoings.
The once largest political party in Africa and oldest in Nigeria since it was created in 1998 by some elder statesmen, is now a shadow of itself, living in past glory and trying to win its way back to national prominence.
Already, some past and present leaders of the party have been consulting, negotiating, discussing, even though they have agreed yet, all in a bit to wrestle power from the stronghold of the Bola Tinubu-Led APC at the centre.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 General elections, Peter Obi, former Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, among other bigwigs, are believed to be in talks with one another of how to build a possible coalition to edge the ruling APC in the power game.
Although, no concrete decision has been reached by the major actors, their negotiations and their inability to reach a consensus remain critical factors that might endanger the birth of a viable coalition.
Factors like who will step down for who as the realignment begins, remains a major issue, taking into consideration their individual experiences, exposures, skills, knowledge, capacities and egos.
Except this issue is resolved in the run up to the 2027 presidential polls, it will be a mirage for them to unseat the Tinubu-Led government.
While the running party is busy strategizing ahead of the 2027 presidential polls, the other parties are still grappling with their internal crisis.
Some analysts believe that Atiku’s past experience as Vice President under the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, might give him an edge, while others think Peter Obi’s popularity in the South could bring a geographical balance to the ticket.
For them to form a strong force against the APC, then, they must find common platform and agree on a candidate, which might be challenging given their different ideologies and interest.
Other factors which some political analysts have highlighted that may pose as a stumbling block agents the coalition is the timing. The time between and 2027 is quite a short time for the coalition to gather and make the desired impact.
This of course, is no brainer. Any merger of alliance must be arranged within a reasonable timeframe to be effective. Also, the coalition will have to convince the Nigerian voting public of its purpose and demonstrate a clear vision for the country’s future, particularly in the area of addressing the economic misfortunes of majority of the people. Another hurdle that would be staring the coalition in the face remains the issue of power rotation.
While the south believe it’s that turn to complete their second term in 2027, the north on the other hand argue that they have been short-changed in the governance structure of the country – in terms of number of years – since the return of democracy in 1999.
Out of the total 26 years, the north has ruled for 11 years, with the south 15 years. The issue remains a key factor that would affect the coalition to birth.
The coalition, must as a matter of urgency, decency decide on this unwritten agreement about rotating power between the North and the South, potentially present a southern for one term to allow the South to complete its own two terms for the office of the president.
In conclusion, the coalition, if it really wants to win power in 2027, must make a compelling case for itself, highlighting its unique strengths and vision, rather than just criticizing the incumbent.
It needs to differentiate itself and show Nigerians that it has a better alternative.
Emeka Monye Is A Journalist And Works With ARISE NEWS.
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Mauritania’s Tah succeeds Adesina as 9th AfDB President
Tah was elected to succeed Adesina after rounds of voting conducted by the AfDB Board of Governors during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the ninth president of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) as Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina prepares to bow out.
The Bank announced his election on its website on Thursday.
Adesina’s 10-year tenure will end this year and Tah is expected to assume office on September 1, 2025.
Tah was elected to succeed Adesina after rounds of voting conducted by the AfDB Board of Governors during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The Board comprises finance ministers and central bank governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries.
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JUST IN: Appeal Court Affirms Okphebholo as Edo Governor

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed Monday Okphebholo as duly elected in the September 21, 2024 Edo Governorship polls, as it affirms the decision of the Tribunal which on April 2 dismissed the petition of Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for lacking merit.
A three-man panel of the Appeal court, presided over by Justice Mohamed Danjuma, restated the position of the Tribunal which held that the PDP failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The panel held that the PDP failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The Appellate Court agrees with the Tribunal that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) Machines which the appellants tendered were merely ‘dumped’ as they weren’t demonstrated to prove overvoting.
This the Court held after it earlier expunged the 133 BVAS machines admitted in evidence at the Tribunal stage of the Governorship tussle.
Ighodalo and the PDP were further faulted by the Appellate Court for failing to tender the voter register to prove overvoting.
The Court further adds that BVAS extract doesn’t constitute items with which to prove overvoting. It says the documents tendered by the PDP at the Tribunal did not, on their own, prove overvoting, non-holding or cancellation of elections at the polling units.
To further puncture the case of the PDP, the panel says the 19 witnesses called by the appellants during the Tribunal hearing didn’t help their case.
It says the majority of them did not witness what they spoke about. Moreso, it adds they were insufficient to prove irregularities in polling stations at over 4,000 locations.
Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, against Asue Ighodalo of the PDP who garnered 247,274 votes.
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