POLITICS
APC Zones Presidency to South, Consensus Option for National Chair on Table

.All Offices Occupied by Northerners now to go to the Southerners and Vice Versa
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has agreed to alternate offices between the north and south in the forthcoming dispensation.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Disclosing this while responding to a question, Kaduna Governor Malam Nasir el-Rufa’i dispelled reports of division among the APC Governors.
He however admitted there were disagreements over the party’s National Convention.“We were divided over the timing of the convention. Some governors felt we should not have the convention until we resolve all the congresses issues in some states. Because, in some of the states, these matters are even in court.
“So some governors held the view that we should wait until all these are resolved and that was not borne out of any agenda or selfish interest but just a realistic opposition to avoid violating any laws or putting our party structures or elected candidates in future.
“But after our meeting last night to deliberate on the proposal by the national caretaker committee and our briefing with the president today, we are all on the same page,” he said.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting with the president, el-Rufai revealed that agreement had been reached on the zoning formula and that the governors are part of it.
“We have agreed on a zoning formula for all the six geo-political zones and essentially we swapped the positions, such that now northern zone will take positions that the southern zone had in the last eight years and vice-versa.
“It is a very simple, equitable and fair formula. We will now go back and consult at the zonal level and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation have started in earnest.
“So, by the grace of God, on the 26th of March, we would have done our national convention,” he said.
At the meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari. Eighteen of governors on the party’s platform were in attendance at the meeting.
It could be recalled that the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) on Monday said it will comment on the postponement of the party’s national convention until it met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
“As a forum, we met on Monday and agreed to meet with President Buhari on Tuesday for further discussion on the national convention and other issues,’’ Kebbi State’s governor, Abubakar Bagudu, Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum, said.
“We will rather not comment on any timetable or any activities until we meet with the president, he added.
Bagudu said Monday’s meeting discussed developments in states and reviewed recent council elections in the FCT and Saturday’s Osun State governorship primary.
He added that the meeting also discussed the court judgement that resolved the 2021 Kano State congress issue and preparations for the party’s national convention.
“We had briefings from the chairman of the CECPC, Gov. Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe,’’ he said.
“All APC governors have met, and as always, we appreciate the need to work with other stakeholders.
“We had always been humble to acknowledge that we are not the only stakeholders in the party. We will work with other stakeholders to ensure that we deliver transparently and honestly, national executives that will continue to earn the confidence of all party members and of Nigerians,’’ he said.
The APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) postponed the party’s national convention from February 26 to March 26.
It released a new timetable and schedule of activities for the National Convention and Zonal Congresses on Monday.
According to the new timetable, activities for the national convention will begin on February 24 with the publication of committees for the zonal congresses.
Sale of forms to aspirants for elective offices will begin from Wednesday, March 9 and end on Friday March 11.
Speaking yesterday after the meeting with the president, Bagudu disclosed that President Buhari advised that that party went for consensus option in choosing its national chairman at the convention.
“President Buhari is a believer in consensus as one of the options of producing leaders and he urged us to explore consensus while recognising that many people who have indicated interest are equally competent but only one person will occupy the office at the end of the day.
“Consensus is part of our constitution and he urged us to work towards consensus,” the Kebbi governor said.
Defending the president’s on consensus Bagudu noted that the option has been adopted by the party in the past.
“We have produced a number of national chairmen by consensus; Bisi Akande emerge as the pioneer chairman of the APC through consensus, John Oyegun emerged by consensus, Adams Oshiomhole emerged by consensus, so the president reminded us of that.”
Bagudu said he believes the party will achieve its aim of selecting consensus candidates.
“And the governors, I have said earlier, have also been working to ensure that as part of equitable arrangement, zoning and consensus are incorporated. We have done that at the lower levels, and even at the national level it’s almost certain that we will achieve it,” he said.
Bagudu also spoke on the March 26 date announced by the interim leadership of the APC for the party’s national convention.
“The date of the convention, the caretaker committee briefed us yesterday of their meeting and the proposed March 26, 2022. And today, the governors informed Mr President that we have had the briefing from the caretaker committee and we are supportive of their position,” Bagudu said.
“We are in total support of Mr President, we are appreciative of his leadership, we commend him for his leadership. We are appreciative of the sacrifice of the national caretaker, and extraordinary convention planning committee. And we thanked them for the successes recorded under them. Our party, like I said, is greater and stronger, with more members by the day,” he said
Education
Varsity Don Advocates Establishment of National Bureau for Ethnic Relations, Inter-Group Unity

By David Torough, Abuja
A university scholar, Prof. Uji Wilfred of the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University of Lafia, has called on the Federal Government to establish a National Bureau for Ethnic Relations to strengthen inter-group unity and address the deep-seated ethnic tensions in Nigeria, particularly in the North Central region.
Prof.
Wilfred, in a paper drawing from years of research, argued that the six states of the North Central—Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa share long-standing historical, cultural, and economic ties that have been eroded by arbitrary state boundaries and ethnic politics.According to him, pre-colonial North Central Nigeria was home to a rich mix of ethnic groups—including Nupe, Gwari, Gbagi, Eggon, Igala, Idoma, Jukun, Alago, Tiv, Birom, Tarok, Angas, among others, who coexisted through indigenous peace mechanisms.
These communities, he noted, were amalgamated by British colonial authorities under the Northern Region, first headquartered in Lokoja before being moved to Kaduna.
He stressed that state creation, which was intended to promote minority inclusion, has in some cases fueled exclusionary politics and ethnic tensions. “It is historically misleading,” Wilfred stated, “to regard certain ethnic nationalities as mere tenant settlers in states where they have deep indigenous roots.”
The don warned that such narratives have been exploited by political elites for land grabbing, ethnic cleansing, and violent conflicts, undermining security in the sub-region.
He likened Nigeria’s ethnic question to America’s historic “race question” and urged the adoption of structures similar to the Freedmen’s Bureau, which addressed racial inequality in post-emancipation America through affirmative action and equitable representation.
Wilfred acknowledged the recent creation of the North Central Development Commission by President Bola Tinubu as a step in the right direction, but said its mandate may not be sufficient to address ethnic relations.
He urged the federal government to either expand the commission’s role or create a dedicated Bureau for Ethnic Relations in all six geo-political zones to foster reconciliation, equality, and sustainable development.
Quoting African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, Prof. Wilfred concluded that the challenge of Nigeria in the 21st century is fundamentally one of ethnic relations, which must be addressed with deliberate policies for unity and integration.
POLITICS
Bye-election: Exclude Our Party, Risk Nullification of Poll, Labour Party Cautions INEC

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The leadership of the Labour Party has cautioned that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) goes ahead to conduct the August 16, 2025 bye-election without publishing the names of its candidates, and ensuring that its logo appears on the ballot, it will seek the nullification of the election in line with the provision of the law.
The party has also called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Prof Mahmood Yakubu led INEC to respect the Nigeria Constitution and the Electoral Law by discharging its duties as specified by the laws of the land and avoid wasting tax payers money. It accused INEC of working for interests that are anti democratic.In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Labour Party said that by the electoral Act 2022, any political party which is excluded from participating in any election is expected to approach the court for remedy.I”NEC is gambling with the huge resources of the country which are being expended in the conduct of the bye-election that is scheduled to hold on the 16 of August, 2025. “We are not going to be helpless as the law has provided adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that has shortchanged the political party or put its image in disrepute. “A political party is expected to guard its image and reputation jealously and Labour Party will not take any conduct by any agency or regulatory body intended to rubbish its reputation lightly. “One wonders what interest INEC is protecting that will make it throw the entire country into unnecessary crisis and incurring such a colossal financial waste. “By virtue of the Supreme Court decision delivered on the April 4, 2025, the court stated that the issues of leadership is an internal affairs of the party and going by the internal mechanism of the party, the party has held a convention on the 27th of March 2024 at Nnewi, which produced the current leadership as led by Barrister Julius Abure. One wonders what the problem is with INEC.”INEC under Prof. Yakubu must respect the decisions of both the Supreme Court and the leadership of the Labour Party.”POLITICS
Abia APC Group Tackles Gov Otti Over N54bn ‘Phantom’ Projects in Schools

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
As the purported expenditure of over N54 billion by the administration of Governor Alex Otti on projects in schools in Abia State continues to generate controversy, a pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) group in the state has tasked the governor to give account of how the money was spent.
The group operating under the platform of the Abian’s Best Interest Association, also warned the governor not to contemplating joining the APC in the state. At a press conference Tuesday in Abuja titled “Where is Abia’s N54 billion?”, the Convener of the group, Hon. Barrister Eze Chikamnayo, said his group had visited several Local Government Areas in Abia state where they interacted with stakeholders on developmental issues before embarking on an on-the-spot inspection of public schools in particular.”In Ugwunagbo, LGA, schools visited included Ihie Community Primary School, Ihie Ukwu Primary School, Asa Umunka Primary School, and Ikem Migrant Farmers School. “In Isiala Ngwa South, the team inspected Nneise Primary School – Umuhu/Umuezu Nvosi, Umunkpeyi Primary School – Umunkpeyi Nvosi, and Obuba Primary School – Obuba Nvosi, Ikem Migrant Farmers School. “From our dispassionate observation, we wish to hereby unequivocally decry the deplorable state of infrastructure in these schools, amongst others, noting that the decay was even more alarming in Isiala Ngwa South – the acclaimed and very contentious Local Government of the sitting Governor, Mr Alex Otti “One wonders then, if charity no longer begins at home.”We went further to question the much-publicized ₦54 billion which appeared in the Abia State Budget Performance Report for the renovation and retrofitting of public schools for the year 2024 and stress that a Budget Performance Report, anywhere in the world, details accomplished projects and the actual amounts spent – not mere approved figures.”While accusing the Abia state Governor of undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu but claimed to be his supporters, Barr. Chikamnayo recalled that Governor Alex Otti as opposition leader had earlier promised that ‘under my watch, not a Kobo of Abia resources will be stolen’. “We now question how such words can be trusted when his administration thrives on non-disclosure and only tries to explain itself when prompted. “We further wish to express shock that the state government included “recruitment of teachers, buying chalks our teaching aids” among the items for which the ₦54 billion was supposedly spent. “When did employing teachers and purchasing instructional materials become capital projects?”We call on Abians to be vigilant, ask questions, and demand full accountability and transparency from the Alex Otti-led administration. “The future of our children is at stake, and no government should be allowed to mortgage it under the guise of inflated or questionable expenditure.”When asked whether the group will receive Alex Otti into APC if he decides to join, the APC group said: “He wants people to believe that he supports the president but the same time we know that in Abia state he is undermining Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “As we speak, over N300 billion has come from President Tinubu reforms into Abia State government and all the local governments are grounded, castrated and completely insolvent.”We will not receive such a liability into APC. That is what we are saying. Nobody in APC Abia state wants anything called Alex Otti. He is a liability.”He said Abia state on Alex Otti has poorly funded public schools compared to its neighbours in the same south east states. “This lack of transparency and accountability we believe is a gross disservice to Abians.”The Abia Best Interest Association and indeed the APC Abia State, therefore, wishes to draw attention of the pubic to the fact that allocations and various intervention funds coming to Abia State from the Federal Government, have tripled since the inception of the President Tinubu’s Administration – wondering why there was still nothing tangible to show in the education sector in Abia State compared to the situation in Imo and Enugu States, where the government has rebuilt, modernized, and equipped public schools with visible results for all to see.”