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Former Governor of Anambra State and the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said he would declare war on terrorists and reject negotiation as a response to insecurity if elected president.

Drawing on his record as Anambra State governor, he argued that decisive action can restore safety across Nigeria.

Obi made the comments in an interview with Arise TV on Monday, during a discussion focused on the country’s worsening security situation, including the recent killing of Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah and several soldiers in a Boko Haram/ISWAP attack in Benisheikh, Borno State.

“No nation will lose about 10 of its senior officers without a response. I will declare war on the terrorists. There is nothing like negotiation,” he said.

Obi said the approach that worked in Anambra during his tenure as governor remained the template he would apply nationally.

He recalled going directly to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek authority to act.

“I had to come here and tell President Obasanjo, this is what I want to do and you must allow me to do it,” he said, adding that the results were verifiable.

He named former army commander, Jarrell Enenche, and the late security officials John Haruna and Commissioner Bello as witnesses to the outcomes.

He cited a former Inspector-General of Police as confirmation that the strategy worked.

“The IG, Abubakar, came and said for five years, we have not had issue of major robbery or kidnapping in Anambra State,” he added.

Obi argued, however, that military force alone was insufficient and that the roots of today’s insecurity lay in decades of policy failure.

“What you are seeing today is the cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years, erosion of governance, erosion of values, abandoning the youth, education, social trust, everything,” he said.

He outlined a two-track response: immediate decisive force combined with long-term institutional rebuilding.

“You start building while you are pushing. You bring governance, justice, people are punished if they do the wrong thing,” he said.

When the interviewer noted that he would need to become president to execute such plans, Obi did not dispute the point, pressing instead on the allies he would need and his commitment to front-line leadership.

He named northern political figures, including former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, among those he would work with, saying he intended to “be in the north.”

He ended with a direct pledge on leadership style. “I am not going to lead from the back. People will see, they will feel it.”

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has commenced preliminary political consultations with the Governance Advisory Council, GAC, in what observers see as early positioning ahead of the 2027 governorship contest in the state.

Hamzat revealed via his X account that he met with members of the influential council on Monday, describing the engagement as a platform for meaningful dialogue on the future direction of Lagos.

“I had thoughtful conversations about the future of Lagos and the kind of leadership it requires. I value the experience and guidance shared. This is about listening, learning and working with others to build a stronger Lagos,” he wrote.

The development has drawn renewed focus on succession politics within Lagos, where the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is known for its structured internal consultation process, which often shapes candidate emergence well before formal primaries.

The GAC remains a key decision-influencing body within the party’s Lagos chapter. Led by Tajudeen Olusi, the council comprises veteran politicians and major stakeholders, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Oluremi Tinubu. It plays a significant role in strategic decisions such as succession planning, zoning arrangements and endorsements within the state’s political framework.

Hamzat’s meeting with the council is widely viewed as part of the customary early consultations that precede major political contests in Lagos, where aspirants typically engage key stakeholders years ahead of elections.

Meanwhile, reactions on social media have begun to frame the engagement as a potential endorsement, with some unverified claims suggesting that consensus may already be forming within the party.

A Lagos-based political commentary platform alleged that the meeting was marked by emotional moments, claiming that a GAC member from Lagos East, Otunba Alebiosu, popularly known as Bush, was visibly moved after Hamzat purportedly secured the council’s backing as the APC’s preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

However, these claims remain unconfirmed.

Hamzat meets GAC ahead of 2027 Lagos governorship race

The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, FCT Command, Olusola Odumosu, has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Security and Strategic Studies.

According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC Monica Ojobi, the honour was conferred during the 8th Combined Convocation Ceremony of Nasarawa State University, held on April 11, 2026, in recognition of his contributions to security administration, strategic leadership, and national development.

As head of the NSCDC in the FCT, Odumosu has led initiatives aimed at improving collaboration among security agencies, protecting critical national assets, and promoting community-driven security approaches within Abuja and its environs.

He has led efforts to address evolving security challenges through both practical engagement and strategic coordination.

The FCT Command of the Corps described the achievement as a milestone that reflects the importance of continuous learning in tackling complex security issues.

It expressed confidence that the academic accomplishment would further strengthen his capacity to contribute to national security and institutional development.

The Command also commended Nasarawa State University for promoting academic excellence and recognising contributions in the field of Security and Strategic Studies.

FCT NSCDC Commandant Odumosu Bags Honorary PhD is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

 

The Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Monday, adopted the senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Solomon Adeola, popularly called Yayi, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The decision to field the lawmaker as the party’s governorship candidate was announced at a state strategic caucus meeting presided over by the state chairman of the party, Yemi Sanusi, and held at the party secretariat in Abeokuta.

The meeting was attended by Governor Dapo Abiodun, former governors Chief Olusegun Osoba, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Gbenga Daniel, despite his reported suspension by the party since August last year.

Others present included Senator Iyabo Obasanjo; Gboyega Isiaka, who represents Imeko/Afon Federal Constituency and is also a governorship aspirant; and other serving and former members of the state House of Assembly and National Assembly.

Abiodun, at the event, announced Adeola as the party’s consensus governorship candidate and urged other aspirants to rally round him, stressing the need for party unity over personal interests.

The announcement was followed by jubilation among party members, who chanted, “Yayi ni jo, Yayi ni jare.”

In his acceptance speech, Adeola thanked party members for the confidence reposed in him, pledging not to disappoint the party.

He said, “Now is all the sacrifices that my brothers have put together to ensure this day comes to pass.

I believe in oneness and the unity of our dear state and Ogun West by extension.

“I know the vision for this state. I know how passionate and how central this state is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“As far as maintaining our status aside from being the fastest-growing economy in Nigeria, all efforts that have been put in place to ensure that we reposition this state and take our pride of place in the comity of states in this country are well recognised.

“Your Excellency, my dear leaders who are here, I want to assure you that I will not let you down.

“I promise to keep the flag flying. I promise to retain and maintain the unity, peace, and progress that have taken place in Ogun State for the last three years and beyond. I can assure you I will not derail.

“I will not derail the ship I am about to take over. I will make sure that it does not derail, and by the special grace of God, I will do my best, my utmost best, to keep every member of our great party together, to keep the state together, and to ensure that irrespective of our political alignment, we are one indivisible family.”

Yayi added, “Going forward from today, Your Excellency and all the leaders of the party, I want to assure you that a new Ogun State is born, and everything that needs to be done to keep us together, to keep us as one indivisible entity, so that we can take Ogun State to the promised land and to the next level we all desire, will be done.”

The state chairman, Yemi Sanusi, said the meeting was convened to preserve party unity before, during, and after the primaries.

He stressed the importance of rancour-free primaries, noting that the caucus meeting was aimed at carrying all stakeholders along and ensuring the party remained united ahead of the 2027 elections.

The PUNCH had reported on March 24, 2026, that the APC is moving toward a consensus arrangement to settle on the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Lagos State.

The report added that party stakeholders also favoured the Yayi for Ogun State, and the senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Sharafadeen Alli, for Oyo State.

The purported decisions, according to that report, emerged from a meeting of APC stakeholders from the three states with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos during the Sallah holiday.

Following the consensus, Iyabo Obasanjo, on Monday, suspended her governorship ambition.

In a statement she signed and made available to journalists, the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo stated that she had decided to put her ambition on hold following the party’s pick of Yayi as consensus candidate.

The former lawmaker representing Ogun Central between 2007 and 2011 congratulated Yayi and wished him well in his future endeavours.

Obasanjo equally thanked the party leaders and all her supporters across the state, praising them for their unwavering steadfastness and unprecedented support while her consultation across the state lasted.

She stated that “At the Ogun APC caucus meeting held today, April 13, 2026, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) was announced as the consensus candidate of our party for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

“I congratulate him and wish him every success. I also thank the state and national leaders of our great party for the opportunity to participate in the nomination process.

“Based on these developments, I have decided to suspend my gubernatorial aspiration.

“To my supporters across Ogun State, I am deeply grateful for your calm, steadfast support and unwavering trust throughout this journey. Together, we move forward with patience, strength and hope.”

Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has slammed Arsenal players for not showing up against Bournemouth in the Premier League at the weekend.

The former Chelsea star insisted that the Gunners stars were hiding from the ball during the encounter at Emirates Stadium.

Recall that two goals from Alex Scott and Eli Junior Kroupi gave the visitors the victory against the Premier League leaders.

“He (Arteta) talked about the fans, bring your dinner, bring your lunch and bring everything and come to the game, the fans did,” Obi Mikel said on the Obi One podcast.

“But you know who fail to show up the f**king Arsenal players.

“Everything seems to be going wrong. The players started hiding from the ball because the pressure was there.”

Arsenal will now face Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final second leg tie on Wednesday, before facing Manchester City in the Premier League at the weekend.

Fans showed up, players didn’t – Obi Mikel slams Arsenal stars for hiding from ball

By Rosemary Iwunze

The insurance industry recorded a 47.3 per cent, Year-on-Year, YoY, growth in   Gross Premium Written, GPW,   to N2.301 trillion in 2025 from N1.558 trillion recorded in 2024.

According to the insurance industry report released by the  The National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, disclosed this in its insurance industry report released yesterday.  

The report also showed that claims payment declined by 21.7 per cent to N724.7 billion in 2025 from N926.1billion recorded in 2024.

The report stated: “The year 2025 saw an impressive growth in the Nigerian insurance sector, with Gross Premium Written reaching a remarkable N2.301 billion, an exceptional performance reflective of the ongoing regulatory measures aimed at fostering market deepening. This was largely influenced by the Oil & Gas business in the non-life and the growing Annuity funds in the life segments of the market, respectively.

“Indeed, the industry’s performance during the period has recorded many folds higher compared to the national output (3.9%), underscoring its increasing relevance and structural importance in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem, a commendable progress owing to increasing public confidence in the insurance market.

“The non-life insurance segment continued to lead the market, contributing 68.4% to the total premium pool, following its pattern in the corresponding quarter of 2024 while the Life Insurance business accounted for 31.6% during the period. Insights into the non-life category reveal the Oil & Gas business as leading portfolio, representing 30.3% of all the non-life premiums generated. Fire Insurance followed with a notable position of 20.4% share while Motor Insurance accounted for 16.1% as Miscellaneous, General Accident, Marine and Aviation businesses also contributed 11.9%, 9.5%, 8.7% and 3.2% respectively.

“On the other hand, the Life Insurance segment was led by Annuity funds in contrast to the behaviour reported in the prior quarter, contributing about 44.3% of all premiums recorded in the business. Individual Life business also accounted for 36.2%, while Group Life 19.5% during the quarter under review.    

“The condition of improved claims management in the industry has contributed to the growth in gross claims reported in the fourth quarter of 2025, which rose to N724.7 billion, representing about 31.5% of the gross premiums written during the period. This performance highlights a strong underwriting capacity within the market and reflects the effectiveness of insurers’ pricing strategies during the quarter. During the period, the Life Insurance section recorded a notable claims settlement ratio of 65.5%, while the non-life segment achieved a settlement rate of 75.5% of total claims reported during the period under review.”

The post Insurance industry records 47.3% growth in premium to N2.3trn appeared first on Vanguard News.

Manchester United interim manager, Michael Carrick, has given his verdict on defender, Lisandro Martinez’s red card against Leeds United in the Premier League on Monday night.

Carrick insisted that the red card was one of the worst refereeing decisions he had seen.

Recall that Martinez saw red after VAR noticed a momentary hair pull on Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Man Utd’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.

The Argentina international now faces a three-match ban as a result of the red card.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Carrick gave his verdict on the red card, saying, “It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive, he touches it and gets sent off. Worst of all was that he was sent to overturn it as a clear error. It’s shocking.

“That’s two games in a row we’ve had those decisions go against us, but that one was one of the worst I’ve seen.”

EPL: Worst I’ve seen – Carrick gives verdict on Martinez’s red card against Leeds

April in Nigeria marks an important shift in weather conditions. The weather gradually shifts from the dry, dusty harmattan season to a more humid, rain-filled period.

On Monday, 13 April 2026, Ogun State’s political theatre staged a scene that felt less like a contest and more like a reconciliation. At the APC Secretariat in Abeokuta, under the watchful gaze of history, Governor Dapo Abiodun declared Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola – Yayi – as the party’s governorship candidate.

The announcement was not a thunderclap but a settling of dust. In attendance were all living elected governors of Ogun: Aremo Segun Osoba, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and the incumbent himself, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

Their presence lent gravitas, as though the state’s political lineage had gathered to hand forward the baton. Party elders, senators, and aspirants filled the hall, their faces registering not shock but recognition.

Governor Abiodun’s words were measured, almost conciliatory: “I have consulted with other aspirants from Ogun West. This decision is aimed at harmonising the party, devoid of anti‑party acrimony, as we prepare towards the 2027 general election.”

It was a riposte to the murmurs of rivalry, a reminder that consensus is not exclusion but preservation.

Consensus in Nigerian politics is paradoxical. It appears undemocratic – a decision made by elders rather than delegates – yet it often produces outcomes that resonate with popular sentiment. Ogun’s collegiate arrangement embodies this paradox. It tempers ambition with consultation, insisting that unity is preferable to fracture.

The presence of Osoba, Daniel, Amosun, and Abiodun together was symbolic: men who once contested fiercely now stood shoulder to shoulder, endorsing a successor. In a polity often defined by rivalry, such unanimity is rare. The collegiate system, far from silencing ambition, reframed it as collective sacrifice.

Adeola’s trajectory explains the consensus. His career, from Lagos politics to representing Ogun West in the Senate, is a scroll of deeds: legislative advocacy, infrastructural push, empowerment initiatives. These are not abstractions but footprints – evidence of a man who has walked with his people. In literary terms, his record is a palimpsest, inscribed with the aspirations of those who see in him a mirror of their own striving. The collegiate arrangement did not conjure him; it merely gave form to what was already present: the chorus of Ogun’s citizens, who had sung his name in rallies and whispered it in markets.

Consensus politics has a long lineage in Nigeria. In the Second Republic, parties often sought to avoid bruising primaries by rallying around a single candidate. The leading parties, National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), for instance, used consensus to balance regional interests, ensuring that ambition did not fracture the party’s fragile coalition.

Closer to home, Chief Obafemi Awolowo embodied the Yoruba tradition of collegiate leadership. In the Action Group of the First Republic, Awolowo’s emergence was not merely the product of personal ambition but of collective recognition. Elders and party stalwarts rallied around him, believing his vision for free education and social welfare was the embodiment of Yoruba aspirations. His leadership was framed as destiny, not imposition – a consensus that gave the West stability in turbulent times.

Consensus is not alien to Yoruba political culture. In traditional councils, elders often mediate disputes, urging rivals to sheathe swords for the sake of communal harmony. The Yoruba proverb – Agba kii wa loja, ki ori omo tuntun wo (“Where elders are present, a child’s head will not go askew”) – captures this ethos. The Abeokuta meeting echoed this tradition. Elders and governors gathered, not to impose but to harmonise, ensuring that Ogun’s political head would not go askew. Adeola’s emergence was thus not only a party decision but a cultural affirmation: the elders had spoken, and the people’s chorus had been validated.

Consensus is hollow if it does not resonate with the people. But here, the declaration crystallised popular will. Adeola’s accessibility, his responsiveness, his rootedness in Ogun West – these have made him shorthand for representation. Governor Abiodun’s announcement was less imposition than recognition. The people’s chorus had already chosen; the party merely formalised it.

Yet consensus requires sacrifice. Other aspirants – men and women of ambition – must now confront the reality that the party has spoken. To resist is natural; to fracture is tempting. But the higher call is to unity. To sheathe the sword is not to admit defeat but to embrace destiny. It is to recognise that politics is not merely about personal ambition but about collective progress. In Ogun’s grand narrative, Adeola’s emergence is not the diminishment of others but the elevation of the state’s future.

The irony is palpable: a collegiate system, seemingly elitist, ratifies what many in Ogun’s grassroots already believed – that Yayi’s time had come. The paradox is instructive. Politics here is not about the arithmetic of delegates alone; it is about the whisper of destiny aligning with collective will. Ogun has chosen to harmonise ambition with destiny, to turn rivalry into chorus, to make of politics not a battlefield but a covenant. It’s after all a state of many firsts.

As the sun set on April 13, the declaration reverberated beyond Abeokuta. Ogun became the first state and APC the first party to deliver on a candidate for the 2027 general election. It spoke to a future where Ogun’s politics is not defined by endless strife but by purposeful unity. Consensus foretold has become consensus fulfilled. The swords are to be sheathed, the banners raised, and the march begun. In the presence of all living governors, Ogun APC chose unity over rivalry, and in Adeola, found a candidate whose record and resonance made him the people’s choice.

-Somorin, former Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Abiodun, writes from Abeokuta

A Consensus Foretold: Ogun’s Collegiate Moment is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has launched a stinging attack on former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, describing him as the most opportunistic and inconsistent politician in Nigeria’s history.

Onanuga’s comment came after Obi hinted in a television interview that he could leave the African Democratic Congress if the party’s internal processes were compromised.

Reacting on X after Obi’s appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, Onanuga wrote: “Peter Obi, the peripatetic, opportunistic and inconsistent politician ever to operate in Nigeria hints that he may leave the ADC, the way he left APGA, PDP and Labour. Listen to him.”

Peter Obi, the peripatetic, opportunistic and inconsistent politician ever to operate in Nigeria hints that he may leave the ADC, the way he left APGA, PDP and Labour. Listen to him. pic.twitter.com/5Ed2bydfHq

— Bayo Onanuga, OON, CON (@aonanuga1956) April 13, 2026

In the interview that triggered Onanuga’s reaction, Obi defended his history of party defections, arguing that each exit was driven by principle rather than opportunism, and made clear he was prepared to move again if necessary.

“I don’t have long time in politics, if I have to move twenty times, I will do it. I cannot be talking about change, I cannot be talking about something new, you cannot use the process of yesterday to build tomorrow,” he said.

Obi attributed his departure from the Labour Party to deliberate sabotage by those who wanted him trapped in a crisis-ridden party.

“They put fire in the house and they were shocked that I was able to escape, they thought I would be there for the fire to burn me. When I now escape they will now say Peter Obi cannot stay to put out the fire which they put,” he said.

On his current ADC membership, Obi acknowledged that some of those he had left behind in other parties were now his colleagues in the ADC, adding that their present conduct is what matters to him.

“What is important is not what people were yesterday, it’s what they are today. I am in ADC with the same people, and I can tell you, some of whom I left in PDP and other parties but we are going through the same process, if that process is again compromised, I will speak out,” he said.

Obi stressed that integrity in political processes is non-negotiable for him, noting, “If I have to move twenty times, I will do it. You cannot use the process of yesterday to build tomorrow.

The post ‘Opportunistic, inconsistent politician’  —  Onanuga fires Obi over hint about ADC exit appeared first on Vanguard News.