POLITICS
10th Reps Speakership: G7 Accuses APC of Acting Gbajabiamila’s Script
By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja
The group of seven Contestants (G7), for the Speakership seat of the 10th House of Representatives has indicated that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC ), was acting the script solely prepared and funded by incumbent Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to foist Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu as Speaker and Deputy, on other elected members.
A member of the G7 and key contender for the seat, Rt Hon Ysuf Adamu Gagdi, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja, on Tuesday, absolving the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of any complicity in the said conspiracy.
This was just as Gagdi expressed displeasure over the way and manner Gbajabiamila was going about the issue in a way he said was quite deceptive, knowing fully that he allegedly stabbed in the back, his loyal Allies, who are all members of the G7.
Gagdi told journalists that he found it hard to believe that Gbajabiamila could jolt members of the G7 to Settle for someone like Tajudeen Abbas, after all that they have done for him and their long-standing loyalty to him and the party.
He said this explained why Gbajabiamila allegedly denied sponsoring the Joint Task, which his helmsmen told journalists during it’s inauguration that the body was not being bankrolled by the Speaker.
It could be recalled that Joint Task in nation building first started in 2019, on which platform the interest of Gbajabiamila to be Speaker was pushed and achieved.
The system gave rise to a rebellion by certain members of the opposition People’s Democratic party (PDP), against the party’s choices of minority principal officers, as Femi Gbajabiamila rejected outrightly on the floor of the House the list forwarded to him, paving way for Ndudi Elumelu, Tobby Okechukwu and others, who were members of his Joint Task Team, to emerge as leaders of the opposition, thereby frustrating the party’s choice of Kingsley Chinda.
Other members of the team, like Onofiok Luke, who were first termers, also got recognitions and juicy committees, but Like and a lot of others, including all these minority principal officers, were unable to secure their seats in the 10th Assembly.
Gagdi said that it was immoral for Gbajabiamila’s men to deny that he was not bankrolling the Joint Task Team, only for Gbajabiamila’s to be be seen steering the activities of the team that was the basic platform the APC NWC was pushing their speakership interest.
He insisted that Gbajabiamila should have played neutrality in the contest and not allegedly asked the APC NWC to employ it’s powers to help him push his candidate against the interests of other party men, without adequate and due consultations.
Gagdi swore that he could stake everything for Tinubu that he was not aware of this script and as such, never endorsed it.
He said Tinubu by his political antecedents and pedigree, will not fall for the arrangements being peddled around, and assured that the protesting group will be willing to meet with the President-elect at as soon as the opportunity presents itself. “I don’t believe that the President-elect is aware, and I don’t believe this is his idea”, he submitted.
The lawmaker also faulted the manner in which the purported zoning arrangement came to the knowledge of other aspirants through media reports, a development he tagged “an insult to some of us (the aspirants)”, warning that the G-7 should not be taken for granted as it is an alliance seeking for justice, and will stop at nothing until a reversal is made.
According to him, the North Central geopolitical zone cannot be totally pushed out of the power equation in allocating the six constitutionally backed positions in the national political scene to the advantage of another zone.
“We (the G-7) have not started anything yet, and people are already running to meet governors…The G-7 has come to stay. Zoning is not a covenant that cannot be amended”, he said as he faulted the decision of the APC to narrow down its decision to individuals, without consulting the others who were nterested in the race.
He said the members of the G7 were patiently waiting for the action of Tinubu on this matter, to prove him as a true democrat, who preaches and was a beneficiary of fairness, justice and equity.
Gagdi further said his team was not perturbed by the ongoing activities of the APCNWC and the Joint Task Team, knowing that they don’t have the blessings of well meaning leaders of the party across the country.
The lawmaker vowed that he would not stepp down or stop fighting this decision, being convinced that it was against all principles of fairness, justice and equity.
However, he said there were two conditions that could make him reconsider his stand, if the G7 arrives at a consensus candidate and it didn’t favour him or if the Deputy President of the Senate is zoned to North Central, which is his desire for the geopolitical zone to have a constitutional position in government.
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
FG Moves to Automate Teachers’ Awards, Ends Manual Selection Process
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja The federal government has digitalised the selection process for the 2026 President’s Teachers’ and Schools’ Excellence Awards (PTSEA),...
Utsev Leads Nigerian Delegation to World Water Congress in Glasgow
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, will on Saturday, October 3,...
BBNaija Season 11: Keivo Becomes Second Housemate to be Disqualified
ShareKeivo has become the second Big Brother Naija housemate to be disqualified from Season 11. This follows his physical altercation...
Mofe-Damijo Envisions Bright Future for Nigeria at 66
ShareVeteran actor and public speaker, Richard Mofe-Damijo, has expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future, describing the country as a work in...
My Wife Paid $20k for Her Surgery Herself, Peller Fires Back at Carter Efe
ShareNigerian content creator and streamer, Peller, has fired back at Carter Efe after the streamer compared their relationships while praising...
I Didn’t Want to be in the Spotlight – Tems
ShareGrammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has revealed that despite wanting musical success, she was uncomfortable with...
Nigeria at 66: Which Way Nigeria?
ShareBy Tochukwu Jimo Obi Sixty six years after independence, Nigeria should be asking itself a question that can no longer...
Nigeria at 66: Booming Banks, Struggling Nation, Where Is the Promised Prosperity?
ShareBy Blaise Udunze As Nigeria celebrates 66 years of independence, it must ask whether the country has delivered the prosperity...
Nigeria at 66: Leaders are Human, But Accountability is Non-negotiable
ShareBy Aderonke Ojediran As Nigeria marks its 66th Independence anniversary, the debate over leadership, public trust and accountability remains central...
Oborevwori Orders Julius Berger to Fix Washed-Out East-West Road at Agbarho
ShareFrom Francis Sadhere, Delta Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has directed Julius Berger Nigeria Plc to immediately commence...