Politics
Second Term Saga: Siminalayi Fubara, Kano gov battle uncertainty in governance
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his Kano State counterpart, Abba Yusuf, are facing uncertainty over their chances of securing second-term tickets in the All Progressives Congress, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Fubara has formally defected to the APC, while Yusuf is expected to join the ruling party anytime from now after his official resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
However, multiple sources in the APC say the governors’ return tickets are not guaranteed because powerful party leaders and entrenched political interests in Rivers and Kano states are contesting their ambitions.
This has triggered intense manoeuvring within the APC in both states, with governorship aspirants vowing to resist any attempt to impose the two governors and insisting that transparent and competitive primaries must be conducted ahead of the 2027 elections.
Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC on December 9, a move widely regarded as a political realignment aimed at securing his second-term ambition.
His defection heightened tension between him and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who insisted that Fubara’s second term is not guaranteed even under the APC.
While Wike has continued to push for President Bola Tinubu’s second term, he has also been mobilising Rivers stakeholders, including APC and PDP leaders, against Fubara’s return bid.
On the other hand, the Kano governor resigned from the NNPP alongside 21 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives and 44 local government chairmen on Friday, after weeks of reports about his move to join the APC.
However, the Deputy Governor of the state, Aminu AbdulSalam, and the National Leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remained in the party.
No assurance of return tickets
APC officials, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said while some of the ‘new APC governors’ had been assured of return tickets, no conclusion had been reached on Fubara and Yusuf.
One of the insiders, a member of the National Working Committee, cited the “peculiarity of the two states” as an impediment to the finalisation of their second-term tickets.
Speaking on what he described as defection and negotiation terms, the party official said the return tickets of some governors who joined the APC from the PDP had been finalised.
He said, “A major negotiation each of the then PDP governors had with us (APC leaders and the Presidency), with the approval of the President, was that their return tickets must be guaranteed. So, any governor who defects to the APC will get the ticket. It may not be automatic, but they will have their way.
“However, there are issues in Rivers and Kano states. Things are dicey; their return is tied to the stance of party leaders and other stakeholders in those states. As I speak to you, no concrete agreement has been made on Governors Fubara and Yusuf.”
Another senior APC official said while the APC Governors’ Forum was liaising with the party’s national leadership to secure return tickets for their new members, there were divisions over Fubara and Yusuf, as some were sceptical about the ability of the two governors to deliver victory for the party in their states.
He said, “The APC Governors’ Forum is a strong arm of the party. They virtually decide everything, except where the President has a vested interest. They fund campaigns and elections. They have concluded on the return tickets for their new members, but they are divided on Rivers, and nothing serious has been decided on Kano.
“The failure of the Kano governor to bring Kwankwaso to the APC is a big minus for him. Also, the former national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, has a favoured governorship aspirant, Nasiru Gawuna, who was our candidate in the 2023 elections.
“Similarly, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, is also a governorship aspirant. These are issues that need to be resolved before anybody can say whether Governor Yusuf will get a return ticket or not.
“On Rivers, Wike is a major force, and he has been using his networks to fight Fubara. If Fubara is to be returned, we (the APC) need to have an understanding with Wike and other Rivers stakeholders. The capacities of the two governors are being tested.”
Rivers, Kano gov aspirants
This is as the 2023 governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, said he would not step down for any other aspirant in the party.
Cole noted that he was prepared and committed to participating in the party’s primary, rejecting the idea of an automatic ticket for any aspirant.
He maintained that Fubara did not join “the right part” of the APC in Rivers, stressing the need for the APC leadership tussle in the state to be resolved between the Chief Tony Okocha and Emeka Beke factions.
“Everybody knows that Tony Okocha is Wike’s faction of the APC. It is not hidden; he owns the structure, and Okocha follows Wike all over the place. Has that group agreed with the President? That needs to be addressed quickly.
“In Rivers State, I don’t think the governor has crossed over to the right part of the party. So, there is still controversy there. If you are asking me to step down, on what basis?” he told Sunday PUNCH.
Similarly, the Kano State chapter of the APC said there would be no automatic ticket for the governor in the 2027 election.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ahmed Aruwa, stated that every aspirant would have to participate in the governorship primary.
He said, “There is no provision for automatic tickets in the APC. Every aspirant, including sitting governors who defect into the party, must participate in the primaries.”
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The National Executive Council, NEC, of the Labour Party has approved the timetable for the conduct of its primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
At a statutory NEC meeting held on Tuesday, 17th March 2026, and duly observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Party, in compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines, approved the following schedule:
Submission of Membership Register to INEC – April 15, 2026, Governorship, Senate, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly Primaries – Friday, May 15, 2026, Presidential Primary Election – Saturday, May 23, 2026.
NEC also ratified the actions of the National Leadership of the Party regarding the conduct of Ward, Local Government, and State Congresses scheduled for March 26, 28, and 31, 2026 respectively, as well as the National Convention slated for April 11, 2026.
The Council, which remains the highest decision-making organ of the Party after the National Convention, reviewed recent developments within the Party.
This included the recent alleged invasion of the Party Secretariat by hoodlums allegedly sponsored by certain rogue elements.
Following a thorough review of the report and recommendations of the Peace, Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Comrade Salisu Mohammed, BoT Secretary, NEC invoked its disciplinary powers and approved the suspension of the following members for acts of indiscipline, anti-party activities, and complicity in the desecration of the Party’s National Secretariat:
Eneyi G. Zidougha, Hilda Doukubo, Lincolin Charles, Muhammed Sabitu Aliyu, Ogar Osim, Vincent Okwuokei, Casmir Agbo Uchenna, Simon Zubairu Bamga, Abduljamid Sa’ad Suleiman, Emmanuel Agida, Auwala Ahmed, Ularama Jubrila, Grace Zafara Posat, Suleiman Abdurahman Abdul, Ajibade Adekunle Samson, Alexander Emmanuel Ombugu, Elizabeth Ativie, Godwin Jioke, Airen Igbinedion, Osas Frank, Kennedy Ahanotu, Ayidele Olurunfemi, B. Arabanbi, Umar Faruk Ibrahim, Auwal Tafoki, and Obiora Ifoh.
NEC further ratified and approved the expansion of the Party’s membership register through a hybrid approach – Digital Membership Registration (e-registration) alongside manual registration in rural communities.
The party said this initiative is aimed at modernizing the Party’s database, strengthening participatory democracy, and enhancing transparency and efficiency in Party administration, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Additionally, NEC resolved that all existing vacancies within Party structures shall be filled through the appointment of interim leadership to ensure continuity in administration.
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Politics
Kano State Commissioner of Science and Technology resigns, cites deviation from founding political ideals
Kano State Commissioner of Science and Technology, Yusif Ibrahim Kofar Mata has announced his resignation from office, citing what he described as a departure from the political principles upon which the current administration was established.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The resignation was disclosed in a statement posted on his official Facebook account.
In the statement, the former commissioner said his decision was guided by conscience and loyalty to the original vision that informed the formation of the government.
“I stepped down from my position as commissioner in order to distance myself from a political direction that deviates from the ideals and struggle upon which this government was founded,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to God and to key political leaders for the opportunity to serve, specifically acknowledging the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and the Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf.
“I thank Almighty Allah, our revered leader, Sen. Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and the Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, as well as the good people of Kano, for the support and cooperation extended to me during my tenure,” the statement read.
The former commissioner noted that he served in the Ministry of Higher Education and later in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, where he contributed to several key initiatives aimed at advancing education and innovation in the state.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Kano through the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and other critical assignments entrusted to me,” he added.
He concluded the statement with a note of appreciation and resignation to faith, saying, “Alhamdulillah.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Kano State Government has not issued an official response to the resignation.
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A federal commissioner representing Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states at the Federal Civil Service Commission, Henry Idahagbon, has described godfatherism as a Nigerian invention that must be consciously dismantled.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Idahagbon said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.
According to him, “I believe that the concept of godfatherism is a uniquely Nigerian invention. Maybe it’s one of Nigeria’s negative contributions to the development of democracy.”
He noted that all over the world, including the United States and most developed democracies, there are very influential political leaders whose views go a long way in determining election outcomes.
“But there is nothing that can be compared with the Nigerian concept of godfatherism. That is why I said it’s a unique Nigerian creation, a Nigerian invention.
“In Rivers and Edo, we have seen and are still seeing the negative impact of godfatherism. Those two states represent perhaps the worst species of godfatherism in Nigeria.
“At the peak of the Obaseki and Oshiomhole imbroglio, we saw Obaseki practically declaring Oshiomhole a persona non grata in a state that he governed for eight years.
“I remember we had to arrange for private security to escort Oshiomhole from the airport just to get to his house.
“On many occasions, his cars were stoned, but for the fact that they were bulletproof, he would have been injured. And I happened to be the only person who was in his house the day thugs came to attempt to burn down his house.
“And the same thing is playing out again in Rivers State. We have the Minister of the FCT, who keeps breathing down the neck of Governor Siminalayi Fubara because he brought him to power.
“So it’s something that the Nigerian political class has to consciously dismantle,” he said.
Idahagbon, who was a former attorney-general and commissioner for justice during Oshiomhole’s administration, emphasised the need for governors and presidents to disengage from power after leaving office.
“When governors and presidents leave office, they should leave for good. They should not be engaged in the process of determining their successors.
“In my opinion, political actors want to determine who succeeds them because of two factors. They want protection when they leave office.’
“So if governors do well, like I believe Gov. Alex Otti of Abia is doing in his state now, you don’t need to determine who succeeds you. Anybody can succeed you if your records are clean.
“So we should consciously, like Oshiomhole during his campaign and tenure said, say no to godfatherism and embrace one man, one vote; one governor, one vote.
“I think that mantra should become a national mantra — one man, one vote — and let us say no to godfatherism because it has negative implications for our polity,” the federal commissioner added.
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