POLITICS
ADC Youths Warn Tinubu Over Appointment of New INEC Chairman
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) youths have warned President Bola Tinubu against manipulating the process of appointing successor of INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu whose tenure is ending in December 2025.
Speaking under the platform of the African Democratic Youth Congress (ADYC) on Tuesday in Abuja, the youths insisted that no matter who is appointed, they would defeat the ruling APC in 2027—even if Tinubu makes his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, the head of INEC.
Politics is about numbers. They can bring all the money they want, but we will still defeat them in 2027.
“We saw Onanuga asking how market. The waters have been tested. We have other elections coming up and that is when they will know how market is because it is going to be fire for fire.
“On INEC, if Tinubu so wishes, he can make Bayo Onanuga the chairman but we in ADC, come 2027, we will make INEC do the needful. We have had enough.
“We are going to defend our votes from the polling units to the final collation centre. They can bring trillions of Naira. We are going to collect the money but we will vote ADC.
“If the president is going to choose the next INEC chairman, he should put Nigeria first. Someone who has integrity and who has the interest of Nigeria first and not given to primordial or partisan interests,” the group said.
ADYC leaders including National Coordinator Ruqayya Lamido Dodo, Director General Murtala Haliru Dantoro, Joshua Nweke Anioma, and others, all spoke at the meeting.
Dantoro described last Saturday’s bye-elections as “a show of shame,” lamenting that vote-buying was rampant.
Noting that vote buying is criminal, he said “What happened in my state, Niger, was heartbreaking. To be in a country whereby we cannot make decisions. Our decisions are baseless.”
“In Niger, they were paying people for as low as N2,000. I don’t know who said they should do that or who asked them to do that but we want the president to take note. It is unfortunate what happened but we pray Nigeria gets better.
“Our message is simple: We refuse to inherit a broken system. We are here to fix it with the strength of unity. We are not just a youth wing; we are the driving force of the ideologies of the Coalition party, African Democratic Congress ADC, and the future of this nation.”
Mrs Dodo also stressed that young Nigerians are tired of being sidelined.
“For decades, we have heard the same tired promises. We have been called the ‘leaders of tomorrow’, a phrase that has become little more than a polite way to sideline us from today’s critical decisions.
“Our generation is tired of being spectators in a nation that belongs to us. We are tired of seeing our potentials wasted, our voices ignored, and our future held hostage by a political system that has failed us repeatedly.
“Today, we are here to declare that the African Democratic Youth Congress, the ADYC, is changing that narrative. We are not just a youth wing; we are the vanguard of a new movement. We are not waiting for tomorrow; we are building our nation today. We are the architects of a new Nigeria.
“The ADYC is the engine room of the African Democratic Congress ADC. Our mandate is simple but profound: to re-engineer Nigeria’s political landscape by championing the core values of transparency, accountability, and radical inclusion,” she said.
The group said its plan is to grow a nationwide movement from the grassroots up, empowering young people across states, local governments, and communities.
“We are not interested in a top-down approach. Our strategy is to mobilize from the grassroots up, which we have done and are still doing, empowering young people in their communities to become agents of change.
“We are setting up local chapters and organizing community development projects that tackle real-world problems. We are using both traditional outreach and modern digital tools to ensure that our message of hope and action reaches every young Nigerian,” they declared.
End
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The Labour Party has fixed its national convention for April 28 in Umuahia, Abia.
The party also officially released the list of chairmen and members of its electoral sub-committees for the forthcoming congresses in all the states of the federation.
Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the Interim National Chairman, Ken Asogwa, made these known in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.
The party had earlier announced the timetable for its congresses, with ward congresses scheduled for April 23, local government congresses, April 24 and state congresses April 26.
According to Asogwa, the sub-committees, made up of experienced and respected party members, have been constituted to oversee the conduct of the congresses in their respective states.
He listed the chairmen to include: Iheanacho Obioma (Abia); Francis Kim (Adamawa); Ekong Solomon (Akwa Ibom); Chief Tony Asuoha (Anambra); Malam Mustapha Adamu (Bauchi); Beredugo Ebimonyo (Bayelsa) and Chief John Ochoga (Benue).
Others are: Urom Iyang (Cross River); Chuks Onitsha (Delta); Chief Mitchell Nwabueze (Ebonyi); Dr Saliu Edogiawerie (Edo); Usman Mohammed (Niger); Owolabi Ezekiel (Ogun); Charles Afolabi (Ondo); Balogun Ibrahim (Osun); Babatunde Yusuf (Oyo); Fakorede Matthew (Ekiti) and Dr David Ogba (Enugu).
Also included are: Adoga Knaabayi (Gombe); Chinagorom Nwankpa (Imo); Mustapha Garba (Jigawa); Dr Emmanuel Barau (Kaduna); Kabiru Said (Kano); Pastor Ishaku Izang (Plateau); Amaobi Ogah (Rivers); Prof. Muhamuda Muhammad (Sokoto); Jesse Williams (Taraba); Mukhtar Hassan (Yobe) and Haila Baja (Zamfara).
Also, Ismail Bello (Katsina); Muh’d (Birnin Kebbi); Samuel Ajare (Kogi); Bodunde Adebayo (Kwara); Chukwuemeka Ogbanna (Lagos); Dr Muttaqa Yushau (Nasarawa) and Rose Uba-Anarah (FCT).
Asogwa quoted the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Nenadi Usman, as urging the chairmen and members to carry out their responsibilities with utmost fairness, transparency and integrity.
Usman reminded them of the party’s core values of equal opportunity and social justice, urging them to reflect these principles in the discharge of their duties.
She stressed the need for diligence and commitment, noting that the credibility of the party must be upheld throughout the congress process.
The statement assured that all necessary arrangements had been put in place to ensure a smooth, successful, and hitch-free convention.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The Amir and National Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Nigeria, Alatoye Abdulazeez, has urged Nigerian youths to unite politically and strategically, identifying Adewole Adebayo as a potential leader capable of driving national transformation if given collective support.
Speaking during an interview, Abdulazeez emphasized that Nigeria’s progress hinges largely on the ability of young people to organize themselves beyond tribal, religious, and financial inducements, and to rally behind credible leadership.
According to him, while several young candidates have emerged in past elections, their failure to build strong alliances allowed older political forces to maintain dominance.
He noted that the case of Adebayo, a lawyer and businessman who contested under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), presents an opportunity for a different political direction if youths can act in unity.
“If the younger generation is sure that Adewole Adebayo can deliver, they should team up with him, get things right, and encourage other youths across tribes to see themselves as one,” Abdulazeez said.
He stressed that Nigeria is currently in what he described as a “storming stage” of nationhood, where divisions along ethnic and regional lines continue to hinder development.
He warned that unless a “national norm” is established—where citizens prioritize unity over sectional interests—the country may struggle to reach its full potential.
The cleric further advised youths to avoid electoral inducement and reject divisive politics, urging them instead to focus on long-term nation-building.
“We must move from where we are to the next stage. Otherwise, we will keep moving in the same direction,” he added.
Beyond politics, Abdulazeez reiterated the Ahmadiyya motto, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” as a guiding principle for national cohesion, stressing that religion should be a force for peace rather than division.
He condemned terrorism and violence carried out in the name of religion, insisting that such acts contradict Islamic teachings.
On governance, he acknowledged efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that while progress has been made in some areas, more attention is needed in critical sectors such as power and economic management.
Abdulazeez concluded with a call for collective responsibility among citizens, particularly the youth, to reshape Nigeria’s future through unity, moral discipline, and active participation in governance.
“Leadership is not just about those in office,” he said. “It is also about those who choose them.”
End
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) have released a revised timetable for the 2026 local government elections.
ENSIEC Chairman, Prof. Christian Ngwu, presented the updated schedule to journalists in Enugu.
Ngwu said the framework outlines activities leading to elections on Sept.
26 and re-run polls on Oct. 10.He explained the adjustments followed the repeal of the Electoral Act 2022 and enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.
“The revised timetable aligns with the new law and other relevant statutes guiding elections in the state,” he said.
He recalled ENSIEC earlier issued a notice on Aug. 20, 2025 alongside an initial timetable.
According to him, party primaries will be held from Jan. 23 to May 26.
“Campaigns will begin on April 29 and end on Sept. 25, 24 hours before polling,” Ngwu added.
He said submission of nomination forms closes on May 29, while candidates’ particulars will be published on June 19.
“The final list of candidates will be released on July 27,” he stated.
Ngwu added that submission of polling agents ends on Aug. 31, while the official notice of poll comes on Sept. 11.
He confirmed elections will be held on Sept. 26, with voting from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. using the open secret ballot system.
“In case of inconclusive results, re-run elections will be conducted on Oct. 10,” he said.
Ngwu stressed the timetable was issued under the commission’s constitutional mandate and in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026.
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