POLITICS
Tinubu has Moves to End Political Marginalization of South East- Ganduje
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje has said that the government of President Bola Tinubu was working out the modality to bring to an end the political marginalization of the South East.
Ganduje spoke on Wednesday when he received members of the Anambra State chapter of the party who came to pay him a courtesy visit in his office.
He said he was delighted to receive the key stakeholders of the party in the South East state including senators and members of Tinubu’s cabinet, Uju Ohanenye as well former members of the National Assembly.
“I am so delighted and very happy. Today is like a Sallah day for me and Christmas day for the Christians. It is like the day of swearing-in for a victorious politician. Today is just like that for me because I never thought I would see the calibre of politicians from not only Anambra but also from the South East zone in the name of APC.
“Let me announce to you that President Tinubu has approved the blueprint for the political liberation, political emancipation and political de-marginalisation of the South East.
“The blueprint will make your voice to be heard, louder, wider on the APC platform to be able to negotiate for the political leadership of the country. You could not achieve that because there was no unity among you. We need you to be united for the delivery of the party in Anambra state. The liberation has started in Imo and will continue in Anambra in 2025”.
Also, the governor of Imo State and Chairman of the South East APC Stakeholders, Hope Uzodinma said he was happy with the new spirit in the Anambra State chapter of the party which he noted, has been on the rise in recent times.
Uzodinma urged the stakeholders to always work with unity of purpose adding that it would benefit the state and indeed the South East the more to pitch their tent with the ruling APC.
“I want to urge our supporters and leaders of our party in Anambra state to learn from the history of the events of the past to be guided by two items. First, unity of purpose, be in position to tolerate each other because anybody bitten by a snake is always afraid of the head of a lizard.
“We should be able to learn from our past. Anambra is a strategic and critical state in the country that has produced important men and women that have created history for this country. I have never seen in any tradition where the man who is always first should be counted last. We need to rise and take our destiny into our hands. I urge all of you brothers and sisters to forget the past, forgive yourselves, unite and represent our people for the interest of the country”.
“I invite you to go home and recover our people. I don’t want our zone to go extinct in national politics. The South East which ordinarily should be the citadel of Nigerian politics is being left behind of late. We should be able to advise and set targets for ourselves and drive our target to fruition. I am encouraged by the number of men and women here”.
In his address, the Chairman of the party in Anambra state, Chief Basil Ejidike said the party was working hard to ensure that it forms the next government in the forthcoming off-cycle election in 2025.
Ejidike who was full of praise for the National Chairman on how he has been handling affairs of the party said he was confident that he would equally provide the needed guidance that would help the party deepen its roots in the state.
“The Party at the state level is poised to go to the election with increased vigour, and is ready to deploy all democratic arsenal as well as deploying the enormous human capital available, to secure the victory which is very important in an election.
“We appreciate the importance of Anambra State as a socio-political and economic melting pot of the South East and therefore cannot afford to gamble with the coming opportunity to take over the AGU-AWKA Government House Awka. It is pertinent to inform you. Sir, that our periodic Stakeholders meetings have restored the hope and confidence of our stakeholders in the Party”.
He said the recent entry into the party by Sen. Ifeanyi Uba from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Sen. Uche Ekwunife, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as Director General of South East Governors Forum, Hon Mike Ugwa and Hon John Nwokeji.
“We also set up a Strategic Membership Drive Committee, with the intent of reaching out to persons with the wherewithal, as well as harnessing the grassroots in order to improve the fortunes of the Party. The Committee is tremendously discharging its duties and responsibilities to the benefit of the Party in Anambra. The heavyweights that we received last weekend will definitely assist them further in this regard”.
However, the State Chairman complained that there were some people at the Presidential Villa who were collaborating with the state government controlled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) whom he alleged were compromising the interests of the state.
“These persons in the past compromised the interests and frustrated the aspirations of the APC in the state. This evidently manifested in the 2017 and 2021 governorship elections: thus preventing the Party from winning despite all the efforts we put in. We are now very optimistic that with the change of guard in the Villa that saw the emergence of a committed party man, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Party under your able leadership, we believe the tide has turned in our favour.
“One major request in this regard, Sir, is for Your Excellency to ensure and guarantee a free fair and transparent primary election in Anambra State. This will help the Party in no means in going into the election as a united body, APC Anambra possesses the human and material resources to win the election”.
Ejidike equally hinted on the news for the party to organize a fundraising exercise ahead of the next governorship election in the state.
“On this, Sir, it is common knowledge that for a party to thrive, heavy and consistent funding is required. We have no major source of funding in APC Anambra, hence this appeal for special financial assistance.
“To change the narrative, the Party has recently, in line with the Constitution, set up and inaugurated a Finance Committee to spearhead fundraising for the Party Sir, may we also suggest that the Party at the national level work out modalities to support states without APC governors. We propose that states without APC Governors be attached to some APC Governors for financial assistance,” he said.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over a purported anti-North statement allegedly attributed to him.
A viral statement allegedly quoted Akpabio as threatening that Northerners would suffer if President Bola Tinubu lost the 2027 presidential election.
Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media, Jackson Udom, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
Udom said the petition, signed by the Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, urged the DSS to urgently investigate the dissemination of the alleged false, inflammatory and divisive statement.
He said the graphic, bearing Akpabio’s photograph and designation, attributed the following words to him: ‘Northerners you will be the ones to suffer the most if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.’
“Unequivocally, the President of the Senate did not make this statement.
“No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recordings, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it.
“The graphic carries no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source,” he said.
Udom said the statement appeared to have been deliberately manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation for the purpose of deceiving unsuspecting members of the public.
He said those behind the scheme intended to provoke regional resentment against Akpabio and portray him as threatening people in the Northern part of the country.
According to him, preliminary examination of publicly accessible Facebook records identified some persons as among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the purported fabricated graphic.
He listed the persons as Abdullai Musa, who posted the graphic in a Facebook group styled ‘Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24”.
Others were Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic commentary expressly credited to him, and Ibrahim Ammar, a verified Facebook account that subsequently reproduced the graphic and similar commentary.
“These persons should not be presumed guilty before investigation.
“Nevertheless, their early and substantial roles in circulating the material make them persons of interest, who may possess information capable of identifying the graphic designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network,” he said.
Udom said their publication records, devices, communications and the provenance of the image should therefore be investigated in accordance with the law. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for its strides in innovation and technological development, assuring the agency of the Federal Government’s continued support.
Akume gave the commendation on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in Abuja when he received NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, members of his management team and winners of the agency’s Innovation Assessment and Award Competition.
The SGF described NASENI’s inter-agency and intra-agency innovation competition for federal civil and public servants and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as a significant milestone in efforts to develop home-grown solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
He said the innovative products emerging from the competition could have significant implications for national security, food sovereignty and healthcare, adding that the achievements demonstrated the depth of talent and ingenuity among young Nigerians.
“Nigeria has talents. I don’t doubt about that. Wherever you go in the world, Nigerians are recognized as people with lot of talents and people with a great future,” Akume said.
He also praised NASENI for adopting what he described as a transparent and non-partisan process in selecting and assessing the innovations, saying the credibility of the competition would encourage more Nigerians to come forward with innovative ideas.
Akume expressed optimism that sustained government support could enable Nigeria to attain greater technological heights, including developing advanced aerospace capabilities.
“Tomorrow, who knows, Nigeria can manufacture rockets that can send people to the moon. And this can be the courtesy of NASENI,” he said.
Earlier, Halilu said the award programme was designed to identify and recognise outstanding contributions by civil and public servants through both inter-agency and intra-agency competitions.
He said NASENI’s innovation strategy goes beyond developing technological products to equipping innovators with skills needed to commercialise their ideas successfully.
According to him, technical and engineering expertise must be complemented by competencies in accounting, marketing and business development for innovations to achieve their full potential.
Halilu disclosed that NASENI had, in about two years, facilitated the establishment of 20 factories across the country and developed more than 40 products as part of efforts to transform research and innovation into commercially viable solutions.
He added that the agency had also introduced programmes aimed at identifying and nurturing innovators from an early age. One of the initiatives, the Future Makers Programme, targets children between five and 15 years to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering and innovation.
The meeting also featured demonstrations by representatives of two of the six winners of the innovation competition.
A team from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) showcased a security jacket equipped with technology designed to facilitate real-time communication with the command-and-control centres of security agencies, potentially improving coordination and response.
The winning team from NASENI, meanwhile, presented a commercial electronic platform designed to serve as a digital marketplace through which MDAs can promote and market their goods and services.
Akume congratulated NASENI and the winners of the competition, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for research, innovation and technological development in Nigeria.
From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress has taken Osun state Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election to court as the petition is now on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo.
The papers went up on Monday, 7 September.
Tribunal secretary Pefe Belemore had said the notices would be displayed before noon. Secretariat staff were already in the courtroom as preparations for sitting continued.Two petitions challenge the 15 August result that returned Adeleke for another term.
The APC case, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Peoples Democratic Party case, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola against Adeleke, INEC and Accord.
Display of the petitions is a procedural step. The parties must still be served before full hearing begins. Adeleke remains the declared winner. The detailed grounds of each petition have not been published. The tribunal has not issued a ruling.
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