The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has announced a partnership with G-100, to galvanise opposition political parties for a common front ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Minority Leader, Rep. Fred Agbedi (ADC-Bayelsa) made this known while addressing newsmen after a closed-door consultation meeting with a delegation of the G-100 in Abuja on Tuesday.

Agbedi said that the engagement was successful, saying that it marked the “consummation” of the partnership between the G100 and the caucus.

He said that both groups had agreed to combine their efforts towards strengthening democracy and providing Nigerians with a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.

The lawmaker said that the aim was to bring opposition parties, political leaders and presidential aspirants to look beyond individual ambitions for a united arrangement capable of challenging the APC.

“We had just had a successful meeting and in the meeting we concluded that this is the consummation of the alliance of the caucus and the G-100, fusing into one to ensure that we play an active role in enriching democracy in Nigeria.

“I want to call on all members of the opposition, no matter the party you belong to, no matter your ambition, that there is strength in unity and that the opposition should unite to ensure that we wrestle power from the APC in 2027,” he said.

Agbedi said that prevailing economic and social difficulties in the country had made opposition unity more urgent.

He said that political differences should not be allowed to undermine the broader objective of providing an alternative government.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Salihu Lukman said that the G100 initiative was driven by concern over the political direction of the country and the inability of opposition forces to coordinate their activities.

He explained that the movement was established to persuade opposition leaders and political actors to negotiate a common political arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections as against individual, party or organisational interests.

“As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented, and if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to replay the 2023 scenario.

“It is almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party, and then we go back to square one,” he said.

He said the G100 is prepared to facilitate whatever discussions and negotiations would be required to bring the opposition forces together ahead of the 2027 polls.

Lukman announced that a summit for opposition parties and leaders initially scheduled for Tuesday, has been moved to Aug. 31.

He said the postponement had also created additional time for the G100 to expand its consultations and bring more political actors and Nigerians into the process.

From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday received his certificate of return at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Osogbo, amid cheers, jubilation, and a mammoth crowd celebrating the renewed mandate.

In his address, Adeleke promised to work harder and do more towards the welfare and betterment of the entire people of the state.

According to him, “You have given me another opportunity to serve, and I accept this responsibility with humility.

“Today is not merely about the presentation of a Certificate of Return.

“This certificate does not belong to Ademola Adeleke alone. It belongs to the people of Osun State: our workers, market men and women, youths, traditional and religious leaders, and every citizen who participated in this democratic process. I am deeply humbled by the confidence you have renewed in me.

“It is deeply painful that any family should have to bury a loved one because of politics. No election, political office or ambition is worth the life of a single citizen.

“We remember Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass, Kolade Eluyera, and every other victim of electoral violence. Regardless of political affiliation, they were first our brothers, sisters and fellow citizens. To their families, your pain is our pain, and your loved ones will never be reduced to mere statistics.

“The Adeleke family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, will provide full scholarships up to university level for the children and dependents of those who lost their lives.

“The Osun State Government will also establish a ₦500 million Election Violence Victims Endowment Fund to support verified victims and affected families. A Verification and Relief Committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, will oversee the transparent identification of victims and equitable distribution of support. This is not a political intervention. It is a humanitarian responsibility”, Governor Ademola Adeleke was quoted as saying.

National Commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representing the South-West, and currently supervises electoral activities in Ogun, Ondo, and Osun States, Professor Kunle Ajayi who congratulated Governor Adeleke at the presentation ceremony later presented the Certificate of Return to the Governor.

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Commissioner for Information in Cross River State, Pastor Ekpenyong Ene Cobham, has challenged opposition politicians to stop what he calls “rudimentary political rhetoric” and put their energies and intellectuals to engage the administration of Governor Bassey Otu on its policies and programmes instead.

The Commissioner threw the challenge during an interactive session with journalists at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar, calling on them to raise the quality of its political discourse if they want to be seen as serious people by Cross Riverians.

He particularly challenged the PDP governorship candidate, Arthur Jarvis Archibong, to a public debate on the policies, programmes and performance of the present administration, rather than wasting his energy on shallow political arguments and personal attacks on the Governor

Cobham said recent criticisms directed at Governor Otu, including claims that the Governor had not spent up to 10 days in Cross River in any month since assuming office, exposed what he described as the opposition’s poor understanding of contemporary governance and the workings of Nigeria’s pseudo-federal system.

According to him, “Is it in this 21st century of the modern world that somebody would talk about where the government is operating from? Talk about the record, the performance index at this point in time,” he maintained.

He said further, “Reel out what you think the government has not been able to achieve. Come up with strong reasons, and let us engage,” he said, adding that critics should “educate themselves to the strata we are operating under.”

Cobham said the administration’s strategic engagements outside Cross River had yielded significant results, pointing to efforts to secure funding from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the sustained push to have Cross River formally recognised as an oil-producing state

Maintaining that these engagements were necessary because Cross River could not achieve its development objectives by operating in isolation from the Federal Government and other strategic institutions, Cobham maintained.