Category: Uncategorized

The Jigawa State Executive Council (SEC) has approved over ₦11.3 billion for the construction of a cryogenic oxygen plant, solar mini-grid projects and…

Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Tuesday paid a visit to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija residence in Ibadan, Oyo State….

An Abuja Federal High Court on Tuesday ordered all parties in a suit bordering on the leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress, ADC, to maintain status quo pending the determination of the case.

Justice J.O. Abdulmalik gave the order following an application for adjournment by counsel to one of the defendants to enable a response to the plaintiffs’ processes.

The plaintiffs, led by Don Norman Obinna and six others, are suing on behalf of state chairmen and state executive committees of the ADC.

The defendants include the ADC, David Mark, Patricia Akwashiki, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The plaintiffs are challenging the legality of a caretaker or interim national working committee headed by Mark, which they allege lacks the constitutional authority to organize state congresses or appoint congress committees.

They are seeking declarations that their tenure as state executive committees remains valid and that only duly constituted state executive committees have the authority to organize state congresses.

They also urged the court to restrain INEC from recognizing or participating in any congress organized by the caretaker committee.

The suit is the latest development in an ongoing leadership dispute within the ADC, centered on the control of party structures ahead of planned congresses and political realignments.

At the heart of the disagreement is the role of a caretaker or interim national working committee, which some party stakeholders accuse of overstepping its constitutional powers.

The plaintiffs contend that, under the party’s constitution and the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the tenure of state executive committees subsists until valid congresses are conducted, and that any attempt to bypass them undermines internal party democracy.

In his ruling, Justice Abdulmalik directed all parties to file their relevant processes, adding that pending applications would be heard alongside the substantive suit.

The judge further ordered that all parties should refrain from taking any steps that could render the court proceedings nugatory.

He also directed that hearing notices be served on the affected defendants ahead of the next sitting.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to April 23 for a definite hearing.

Meanwhile, the Mark-led ADC leadership on Tuesday went ahead with its decision to hold the party’s national convention in Abuja.

But the exercise has been frustrated by inability to get a venue.

ADC leadership crisis: Court orders status quo

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West), has expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Dapo Abiodun, Chief Olusegun Osoba and other former governors of Ogun State, as well as leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his adoption as the party’s consensus candidate […]

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has said it is not comfortable with options of fines being accorded drug traffickers and their agents in the country.

The agency said it wants strict imprisonment that would deter others from the heinous crimes.

The anti-narcotics outfit explained that experience has shown that options of fines in place of outright imprisonment has not deterred drug traffickers, hence the rise in the abuse of illicit substances in the country.

Chairman of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (rtd) who made this known on Tuesday in Abuja pleaded with the Chief Judge and judges of the Federal High Court to always consider strict imprisonment for drug offenders who do not deserve mercy of the law.

He spoke at the unveiling of National Minimum Standards on the Implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws of the 36 states.

According to Marwa, Nigeria currently has over 10 million cannabis users, a development he described as very worrisome.

In the past five years, he said the agency made a seizure of about 15 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances out of which between 70 to 75 percent was cannabis.

The worrisome situation, he said, forced NDLEA under his personal intervention, to meet cannabis growers especially in Ondo State to enlighten them to stop growing Indian hemp and embrace legitimate growing of food and cash crops that would make life meaningful for them and others.

He noted with satisfaction that the efforts have been yielding fruitful results with positive response from the fields.

Marwa said that hundreds of farmers opting out of cannabis growing would not only have sustainable means of legitimate livelihoods but would no longer live with fears of possible arrest and prosecution by the NDLEA.

He thanked the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for quick responses to NDLEA issues.

In a welcome address at the occasion, the Director, Administration of Criminal Justice Reform and Development Development, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Leticia Ayoola Daniels, said the occasion represented the culmination of years of deliberate, intentional, collaborative and painstaking efforts to strengthen the Administration of Criminal Justice System in Nigeria through the institutionalization of Restorative Justice as a viable and effective complement to conventional justice processes.

The National Minimum Standards (2025), she said, established the operational benchmarks required to institutionalize Restorative Justice in Nigeria, ensuring that its implementation aligns with global best practices while remaining responsive to our local realities.

According to her, the Harmonized Restorative Justice Training Curriculum and Manual (2025), on the other hand, is designed to provide a comprehensive framework for training facilitators, ensuring consistency in practice, and promoting professionalism in the delivery of Restorative Justice processes across jurisdictions.

NDLEA wants strict jail terms, not fine options for drug traffickers – Marwa

Police arrested 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama from Spring, Texas, outside OpenAI’s offices, and he’s scheduled to hear those charges at an arraignment on Tuesday.

The President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday stated that no country can achieve sustainable development with an inefficient tax system….

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on Tuesday met with shipping companies, freight forwarders, importers, and exporters, stating that the approved 30 percent tariff increase would not destabilize the economy. Speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ forum on the planned increment, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr. Pius Akutah, said that the earlier suspension […]

A governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, has urged his supporters to remain calm, steadfast and confident, while he embarked on wide consultations over the announcement of Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the state. Isola, a former Nigerian High Commissioner […]

The former AMAC chairmanship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Moses Paul, has declared that the opposition party is determined to unseat President Bola Tinubu, describing the current administration as “lawless” and out of touch with democratic principles.

Speaking in an interview with THE WHISTLER during the party’s convention activities in Abuja, Paul said the challenges surrounding the event had only strengthened the resolve of party members to mobilise and organise against the ruling government.

He noted that uncertainty over the convention’s venue just hours before the event showed deliberate efforts by the ruling party to frustrate the opposition.

Despite this, he said party supporters turned out in large numbers, insisting that the situation had boosted their determination to push for political change.

“You can see that even 12 to 18 hours ago, people were still unsure whether the convention would hold. The venue was uncertain, yet everywhere is filled. It shows we have gone beyond agitation; we must now mobilise, organise, and remove this lawless regime,” he said.

He urged the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for opposition parties to function effectively in the interest of national development.

“It is in the interest of the government to ensure that the opposition works. During Yar’Adua’s time, he insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) be impartial and that opposition parties be allowed to thrive. That is the kind of leadership Nigeria needs,” he said.

Addressing the importance of the ADC convention, Paul described it as critical to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy, warning that any attempt to undermine it could have dire consequences for the country.

He argued that without a functional democratic process, Nigeria risked descending into disorder, adding that the current political climate reflected what he termed “rascality and lawlessness.”

Paul further accused the Federal Capital Territory administration, under Minister Nyesom Wike, of denying the ADC access to public and private venues for its activities.

He alleged that requests by to use facilities such as the Old Parade Ground and other public spaces were either ignored or outrightly rejected, even after payments were made.

He also claimed that private event centres faced threats of sanctions for agreeing to host the party.

According to him, “From stadiums to hotels and even private venues, access has been denied. This clearly shows that the regime has lost its sense of democracy.”

“Even when I contested my election in the last couple of weeks ago as the AMAC candidate under the ADC, I had requested and booked for the usage of the old parade ground and it was not granted, even after some funds were paid and one of the directors told my team directly that the minister is not going to attend to it,” he recounted.

Despite this, the ADC chieftain maintained that the convention, themed “So That Nigeria May Work,” reflects the party’s broader mission to address the country’s challenges.

“So you are asking me how important it is. It is so that Nigeria may work because Nigeria is not working right now, with the insecurity, with the destabilisation of the opposition, with the hunger and poverty. It is Nigerians versus the incumbent,” he stated.

ADC Will Remove Tinubu In 2027— AMAC Chairmanship Candidate is first published on The Whistler Newspaper