POLITICS
Benue Minority Leader, Others Defect to APC, Endorse Tinubu, Alia for Second Term
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Minority Leader of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mike Audu, and thousands of members of opposition parties in Otukpo Local Government Area have officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Otukpo is the traditional headquarters of Idoma kingdom in Benue South senatorial district where the incumbent deputy governor of the State comes from.
The decamping ceremony was held at the St. Mary Primary School in Otukpo Local Government Area of the State, attracting a massive crowd from across the thirteen council wards.
Speaking at the event, Zone C APC leader and deputy governor of the State Barr.Sam Odeh, who officially accepted the defectors into the ruling party, promised them equal treatment and full integration.
He stated that APC remains a big party that is accommodating everyone including those with disability, adding that those who have joined the party should know that there is no senior or junior as the party was built on the principle of equality with a platform that promotes winnings.
All of you who have come to join this party in your numbers, your equality of membership is guaranteed.
He maintained that the government of governor Hyacinth Alia is building roads across the whole of zone c.
“If you go to Igumale, we are constructing a road from Igumale to Agila worth N19bn. If you go from Obagaji to Okokolo, all the way to Agagbe, we are building a road that is worth N29bn. From Oju to Awanjir, we are also constructing a road that is worth N26bn. So, all the roads we are building in the State are worth N87bn. If anybody is deceiving you that Zone C is marginalised, the person is a liar. I cannot be in the government and this zone would be marginalised. It is not possible.
“I want to assure you that, working together with the State chairman of the party, whatever that would come to us, must come to us. Come 2027, we will still present ourselves because of the good work. Those decamped today have demonstrated their love for Fr. Alia and President Ahmed Tinubu. I challenge myself. Those who are saying that the APC is going down, they should know that APC is going up.
“Therefore, by the power vested in me as the leader of APC in this zone and on behalf of the executive governor of the State moved for endorsement of president Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Rev. Fr. Alia for a second term in office”, the deputy governor stated.
He reaffirmed Governor Hyacinth Alia’s continued commitment in delivering good governance, ensuring equity, transparency, and people-centered development across board.
Speaking before handing over the new members to the deputy governor, the State chairman of APC. Chief Benjamin Omale, maintained that the mass movement of opposition members into the APC, is a reflection of trust, unity, and the collective aspiration for continued growth and development of Benue and Nigeria.
He added that the defection marks a major political realignment and renewed hope and faith in the developmental strides of the present administration.
Chief Omale added that the decamping exercise going on across the 23 LGAs was a clear testament to the people’s confidence in the purposeful leadership and vision of Governor Hyacinth Alia who is working with passion and without discrimination.
“I urge the new party members, especially the youths and women, to take active part in the democratic process by obtaining your Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), this is because voting power remains the strongest tool for sustaining democracy and ensuring that good governance is realized”.
”I want to assure the people of Otukpo and Idoma land that the Alia-led administration will continue to prioritize infrastructural development, education, healthcare, agricultural support, job creation, and youth empowerment initiatives in order to improve the living standards of every citizen”, Omale maintained.
In his goodwill message, the Commissioner for finance, Mike Oglegba commended the decampees, saying they have made a good decision by coming to join Governor Alia in his quest to develop the state.
He highlighted the good works of the Governor whom he said, is determined to put smiles on the faces of the people of the state.
In his remark, the executive chairman of Otukpo local government council, Prince Maxwell Ogiri, said the decamping by Otukpo people was a testament of the good works of governor Alia and commended them for the bold initiative and assured that their decision would not be in vain.
Speaking in his capacity and on behalf of the defectors, the former minority leader, Mike Audu explained that his decision to join the ruling APC was influenced by the leadership style of the State governor and assured that they will work with other stakeholders of the party to bring unity, peace and tranquility within the party.
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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