The group took the decision at a national summit of opposition political parties held on Saturday, 25 April 2026, in the Oyo State capital.

The opposition political parties which participated in the summit included the PDP, ADC, PRP, NNPP, NDC, LP, APP, Accord, APM, AA, DLA, YP, ADP, and ZLP.

Reading the communiqué on behalf of the participating chairmen, the factional National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Taminu Turaki (SAN), declared that the move was an existential necessity to rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC.

“We shall work towards fielding one presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, which shall be agreed and supported by all participating opposition parties to rescue our nation and her long-suffering masses,” the communiqué stated.

The summit also slammed the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It passed a vote of no confidence on the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, accusing him of blatant partisanship toward the ruling party.

The declaration warned that Amupitan’s continued stay in office is vexatious and could trigger a national crisis. The summit demanded that Amupitan be replaced by a neutral figure to guarantee a credible process.

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Clad in black and holding placards and palm fronds, the demonstrators barricaded the major road, disrupting traffic for hours and demanding urgent government intervention to end the bloodshed.

The protest came less than 24 hours after suspected armed herdsmen reportedly killed over 200 people in a brutal attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area. The incident, one of the deadliest in recent times, has further deepened fears and frustration among residents who say they feel abandoned by the government.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the attack in a statement, describing the killings as “horrific and unacceptable.”

He called on the federal government to urgently overhaul its security strategy and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“No community should be left to live in fear while the state fails in its primary duty of protecting lives and property,” Atiku stated.

Despite earlier warnings from the Benue State Government against unlawful gatherings, the protesters said they could no longer remain silent in the face of what they described as a “slow genocide.”

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Adebayo made this known during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, April 6, 2025. According to him, several high-profile politicians, including Atiku and Obi, are considering the SDP as their new political platform as momentum builds towards the 2027 polls.

This revelation follows the recent defection of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP, signaling a possible realignment of Nigeria’s political landscape.

“People are joining my party, and we are welcoming them,” Adebayo said. “You’ve seen how active I’ve been in receiving them. The only issue is helping them adapt to a system where rules and accountability matter.”

When asked specifically about the involvement of Peter Obi, Adebayo noted that discussions are ongoing.

“Until someone officially joins, we can’t say for certain. But I’ve been informed by reliable sources, including our Financial Secretary, that talks are in progress,” he said.

He also mentioned that the SDP maintains a strict internal structure based on fairness and transparency. “We conduct our affairs without court cases or controversies. Our 2022 national convention is a clear example of our integrity,” Adebayo added.

“If we stick to our values and offer Nigerians a credible alternative, we will defeat the APC and send President Bola Tinubu into retirement, whether in Lagos or anywhere else he chooses,” he declared.

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The Apex Court in its ruling on Thursday held that the appeal filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, lacked merit.

Justice Inyang Okoro said, “On the whole, having resolved all the issues against the appellant, it is my view that there is no merit in the appeal and it is hereby dismissed.

“The judgment of the court below delivered on September 6th 2023 affirming the election of the second respondent as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is hereby affirmed.”

Atiku had approached the court to overturn the judgment of the presidential election petition tribunal which affirmed Tinubu’s election as president.

The post Breaking: Supreme Court Confirms Tinubu As Winner Of 2023 Pres. Election appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Is it a spell, is it disinformation or is it delusion?

How our reverred and much-loved Baba Olusegun Obasanjo can speak in glowing terms about Peter the Pooh and Dati the Daft amazes me.

The former persecuted non-Catholics, Muslims and non-indegenees of Anambra state, including Northeners and Yorubas, when he was Governor, invested state funds into his family business and ended up having secret bank accounts in Panama.

The latter, who is essentially nothing but a well-packaged and well-prepped Mauritanian refugee, is a man whose homicidal tendencies and insatiable blood lust have taken him to such a high level of insensitivity, cruelty, meglomania, blood-lust and depravity that he once openly and boastfully proclaimed on the Senate floor, before he was deprieved of his fake and fraudulent mandate by the courts and unceremoniously asked to leave, that he wants to “kill all homosexuals”.

These are the clinically insane, criminally-inclined and psychologically disturbed pair of social deviants and reprobates that OBJ wants to foist on Nigerians?

Worse still they control an army of trolls on social media whose only mandate and worth is to insult, denigrate, threaten, intimidate and attack anyone who disagrees with their principal.

This fascistic mob, led by an equally fascistic, narcissistic, vain, gutter snipe of a leader who attempts to hide his demagoguery and bullying ways in a cloak of humility, a semi-female high octane voice, a strange black “where me over and over again” outfit, a life time single watch and a fake benign smile is capable of shedding blood at the drop of a hat and no doubt would literally kill and wipe out all opposing voices if, God forbid, their master ever came to power.

Like Peter, Adolf Hitler started in a similarly charming, humble and alluring manner, hiding his true colours long before he wormed his way into power and by the end of it all Germany, and indeed the entire world, paid a heavy price for their folly.

No matter what anyone says about Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu or Waziri Atiku Abubakar neither have ever publicly expressed the desire to kill their fellow Nigerians purely on the grounds of their sexual preferences or issue identity cards to non indigenes of their respective states when they were Governors.

Neither persecuted Muslims and non-Catholic Christians in their states or denied Pentecostal Churches the right to buy land and build Churches when they were Governors.

As Governor of his state Asiwaju protected and prevented Churches from being demolished even when they were built on disputed land and he has been doing so both when he was Governor and for the last 20 years.

After he left power in Lagos state many were marked for demolition but he used his good offices with his numerous successor Governers to stop it in the name of public interest and state security.

I can cite many examples of this and I know the Churches he saved.

He did the same for many mosques as well.

He also granted more land to Churches than any other Governor in the history of Nigeria when he held power in Lagos which puts a lie to the suggestion that he wishes to Islamise our nation and he supported NASFAT the strong and pacifist Islamic revival movement in the South West.

On his part as Governor of Adamawa state Waziri ensured that a Christian took over from him even even though there was opposition to it from some Muslims in his state.

Unlike Obi neither Asiwaju nor Waziri have been going from mosque to mosque or Church to Church dangerously stirring up and inciting the passions of believers, preaching religious politics and hate from the pulpit and attempting to set us on the path of a cataclysmic and blood curdling sectarian war which will bring Nigeria to her knees and eventually an abrupt and bloody end.

Neither have links with IPOB and neither have used the symbol of IPOB on any of their businesses or business products like Obi has done.

A vote for Obi takes us one step closer to the break-up of Nigeria and a second civil war because that is precisely and simply what he really wants.

Whether it is an ethnic war, a religious war or both I do not know but his secret desire is to push us to the brink of that war.

And guess what? So far he is doing pretty well in that respect by creating clearer and deeper fault lines of division and potential conflict.

A clear example is his refusal to condemn the brutal killing and killers in the South East known as unknown gunmen who kidnap and murder anyone and everyone including our security personnel.

Peter says he refuses to condemn these barbaric creatures and cruel beasts because he does not know who they are.

Does this really make sense?

This foul and irresponsible inverted logic can only come from the likes of him.

Evil is evil but Peter refuses to condemn this particular brand of it for reasons best known to himself.

Having fought so desperately and worked so hard for the unity of this country in the past and having been rightly described as one of the greatest heroes of our civil war, I am utterly baffled and flabbergasted at OBJ’s endorsement of such a divisive, deceptive, insensitive, callous, irresponsible and totally unreliable character other than to say perhaps he just believes that the Presideny ought to go to the S.E. .

If that is the case fair enough and he is certainly entitled to his views and opinion but surely the SE have better men to offer for the Presidency like Ugwuanyi, Umahi and others than a closet IPOB supporter and a man under whose tenure hundreds of dead bodies, who were apparantly victims of state-sponsored terrorism and murder under his watch, were found floating in Oji River when he was Governor.

I respect and love Baba OBJ, I always will and unlike others I believe that his record in public office was extraordinary, unassailable and spectacular.

In my view no-one can take that from him and it is a matter of public record.

Love him or hate him that is the truth.

He was not infallible and he was not an angel but he was a great and inspiring leader who brought Nigeria back from the brink as a civilian President.

That is my opinion and I will never shy away from saying so.

However I think his rabid opposition to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu particularly is misplaced, sad and unfortunate.

I also believe it is rooted in something personal which is deeper, darker and more sinister than mere politics and this saddens me deeply.

When it comes to Waziri Atiku I think he still harbours a deep- set hatred and animosity for him for the undoubted atrocities he committed against him when he was President and when the latter was his Vice.

Yet surely in life and particularly as a Christian there is a place for mercy and forgiveness.

Yet whatever the real reasons that he dislikes these two men intensely and believes neither are fit to lead Nigeria, whether political or emotional, the endorsement of a featherweight, fairweather friend and mediocre, pretentious and imbecilic candidate like Peter Obi who lacks any real experience of politics at the national level, who is far better suited to be a seller of snake oil or fake motor parts and who simply cannot grasp the history or complexities of Nigerian politics coupled with his asinine and remarkably dull and intellectually stunted running mate, Dati the Daft, has, in my humble opinion, greatly diminished our father Baba OBJ and left him wide open to the kind of bashing and unprecedented criticism and insults he is receiving from all fronts.

Honestly it pains me when I read what people are saying and writing about him since his latest letter because I remain one of his most loyal and loving sons and I am very fond of him.

Yet a loyal and loving son owes his father, if nothing else, one thing and one thing alone: the bitter truth.

And that bitter truth is that his endorsement of Peter Obi is the biggest mistake that he has made ever since he came into politics in 1999 and it is nothing but an exercise in futility.

Obi will not only lose woefully and may well be driven into fourth place but he may also lose his deposit and much more.

(FFK)

The post WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO OUR BABA? appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

PDP Caretaker Chairman in the state, Adekunle Akindele in a condolence message to the Adeleke family on Tuesday described the incident as “a very sad occurrence”.

Akindele directed all party organs and committees to suspend activities in commiseration with the family.

“Our condolence goes to Davido, our youth ambassador. We commiserate with our father figure, Dr. Deji Adeleke, and the entire Adeleke family. We pray the good Lord to grant the family the strength to bear this irreparable loss,” Akindele said.

Ifeanyi Adeleke drowned on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed his condolence message to the Adeleke family.

My thoughts and prayers are with Davido and Chioma and the Adeleke family at this time. I pray for God to strengthen and comfort them. -AA

— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) November 1, 2022

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I knew Atiku Abubakar in 1991 during the time of SDP and NRC, the two political parties floated and financed by the then federal military government headed by General Ibrahim Babangida, popularly called “Maradona” in those days. During that time, I was the internal auditor of SDP at the national headquarters in Lagos which was later moved to Abuja.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar got his political tutelage under the late General Shehu Musa Yar-Adua of blessed memory. The late General was a man of the people. He was humble, calm, and always mean with his words. He won the hearts of many and was accepted by all ethnic groups. Call him a political guru because he knew all the political mathematics that is needed to win an election. No wonder, he kept winning the SDP primaries even though the powers that be kept cancelling the same for reasons best known to them.

Atiku’s political fame started when he locked horns with his home political rival, Alhaji Bala Takaya when they both contested for governorship primaries in Adamawa state under SDP. While late General Shehu Yar-Adua supported Atiku, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe, the then national Chairman of SDP rooted for Bala Takaya. Note that both godfathers had presidential ambitions at that time. The contest was so hot that it generated a lot of controversies and both candidates were disqualified and a neutral candidate was anointed. Since then, Atiku’s desire to rule his state became stronger and he used his training to put his political machinery and strategies in place hoping to fight another day. When the military under late General Sani Abacha struck in 1993, all political structures were dismantled and the politicians were sent packing. Atiku saw this development as an opportunity to re-strategize and he did it perfectly.

In 1999, an opportunity presented itself again and he had fewer problems. He clinched the PDP ticket and eventually won the governorship election in Adamawa State. However, when a running mate was being sourced for Chief Obasanjo, who was a boss to Atiku’s mentor, Atiku’s name featured prominently. The reason was that Obasanjo was not a politician and he just came out of prison yard with his eyes still dazed and there was a need to get him a running mate that was not just loyal but also politically vibrant. Atiku at that time had a firm hold on the political structures of PDM which were subsequently inherited by the PDP. In fact, after the death of Gen. Shehu Musa Yar Adua, Atiku became the leader of the PDM which was a strong political movement. He was finally anointed the Vice President and his political vibrancy and intellectualism were proven beyond reasonable doubt in their first term in office. He was completely in charge, presiding over the economy and restructuring it through privatization. Meanwhile, Chief Obasanjo, his Oga, having been out of prison was behaving like a chicken or dog that had been caged for days. Obasanjo became a touring President and forgot about his mandate and Atiku became the de facto President. In fact, during that period it was like the fear of Atiku was the beginning of wisdom, especially among the Governors. Atiku had all the economic and political machinery under his control which almost sack Obasanjo in 2003. But for his loyalty, Atiku refused to succumb to pressure especially from Governors to take over.

Atiku was the only man who fought and stopped Obasanjo when he discovered that Nigerians were about to get what they did not bargain for – third term. He took the risk not minding whether he lost his position as a Vice President and fought till Baba lyabo was technically knocked out and sent packing out of Aso Rock. They too vowed to take a pound of flesh and frustrated every move by the former VP to achieve his presidential ambition. This did not deter him as he decamped to AC to continue with the battle. He finally lost the Presidency to Umoru Musa Yar-Adua of blessed memory. As a man of political battles, he once again saw the development as an opportunity to re-strategize, overhaul, oil his political machinery and sharpen his political tools for another day.

In 2011, another opportunity presented itself again and Atiku dusted his political bag but there was a hurdle. He needed to be born again in PDP where he chose to pursue his Presidential ambition and Governor Nyako was to conduct the mass. Governor Nyako proved tough but trust Atiku, the Professor of politics with his political algebra. He shunned Nyako and bulldozed his way through a higher level throwing panic in Nyako’s camp. I am sure Nyako and his camp must have wondered what manner of man is Atiku. It was not without obstacles but he found his way back to PDP at last and set his political machinery in motion to clinch the PDP ticket.

The Ciroma-led northern political forum found him worthy of service and anointed him consensus candidate of the north with the active support of Generals Babangida and Gusau who conceded defeat. When President Jonathan and his camp saw Atiku’s fame growing, they quickly set in motion machinery to tame the growing popularity knowing that Atiku is a political giant who cannot be underrated or dismissed with a wave of the hand. In the end, the then incumbent President, with all the resources, power, and government machinery at his disposal clinched the PDP Presidential ticket on the 13th of January, 2011 at Eagle’s square by 2700 votes to Atiku’s 805 votes. The President’s victory, it was alleged, was not unconnected with the threats faced by the Governors in leading their delegates to vote otherwise. That is to say if they had voted otherwise they would have been voted otherwise on their “D day”.

Those who felt the Turakin Adamawa and Zege Mule u Tiv was disgraced at the Eagle’s square must have made a serious mistake and I advised them to have a rethink. To those who said he should have forgotten about the Presidency because he made two attempts before and did not succeed, I said they were cowards, short-sighted and people with no future. Those who have the genuine desire to change the system are not supposed to give up easily in spite of hurdles. As a political guru, Atiku lost gallantly and he should have been commended for fighting for peace, unity, justice and fair play. He felt PDP should stick to its zoning arrangement which was agreed upon. By the way, if not Atiku, who would have contested against the then incumbent President? Is it Sarah Jibril who was called to the podium to entertain delegates? I am sure her only campaign expenses were the clothes she wore on that day. I believe that if the PDP primaries were conducted in the manner ANPP did, Atiku would have made a more serious impact. Although Atiku lost in the primaries, he remained a great politician with a great force to reckon with. He remained undaunted and was never shaken nor discouraged. He is indeed a great politician worthy of respect.

At the convention, Atiku’s speech was direct and point blank. He addressed critical issues and this discomfited the then incumbent President and his wife. It took the divine intervention of Baba lyabo, David Mark, Dimeji Bankole, and others to stabilize and organize him. No wonder the clever Master of Ceremony kept thanking the delegates for almost twenty minutes as way to douse tension and clear the coast for the then President’s speech which did not look original when it came. It was hurriedly written on a notebook with pen in contrast to Atiku’s speech which was well arranged and typed. Sure, it was Baba’s handwork. Furthermore, Atiku made the primaries to attract world attention. With his presence in the race, Nigerians of different political parties and indeed the world became deeply interested in the exercise. In fact, President Jonathan was not sure of the outcome until the counting started. Atiku is a politician you cannot fight and sleep with your two eyes closed. I believe the then President must have fasted and had sleepless nights, unlike Baba who fought for the third-term agenda and still enjoyed the comfort of his bed.

In 2015, Atiku again tested his popularity in APC and contested but lost to President Mohammadu Buhari. The Turakin Adamawa got offended by the circumstances that denied him victory at the APC primaries. However, he was prevailed upon to put his political weight behind Muhammadu Buhari who won the primaries. He eventually did that and surrendered all the political machinery and human machines like Shehu Garba to Buhari who subsequently contested and won the presidential election against the then President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Along the line, Atiku was not satisfied with the way he was treated and side-lined by the APC’s hawks and he vowed to take a pound of flesh. This led him back to his root, the PDP like the prodigal son in the Bible. He was accepted back and he re-activated his political structures and machinery, re-strategized, and equipped himself better and stronger than before. He subsequently got the PDP ticket through the primaries and contested in the 2019 general elections under the platform of the PDP. The contest between Atiku and Buhari was hotter than the contest between the God of Elijah and the gods of Baal. As the result kept trickling in at Abuja, it became obvious that Atiku was in the lead. This trend angered the hawks in APC who quickly put in place a plan to change the trend to an “inconclusive election”. This gave room for figures to be doctored in Kano and Kaduna states where a collation was manually processed. This automatically changed the trend of the result and Buhari took the lead. At last, the presidential election was won by the incumbent President, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

Atiku wept seeing that he was robbed of victory in broad daylight by the powers that be. As it is usual with the Turaki, he sheathed his sword but the fight did not end. He only took a break, and re-strategized believing that he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

The Turaki is out this time again. He has already won the PDP primaries in stiff competition with Governor Wike of Rivers State who lost narrowly. The coast now seems to be clearer for him, especially with the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC which is under controversy even among some Muslims. This time it is a fight to finish because the Turaki may not have another opportunity to fight another political battle. Politically, the APC candidate Bola Tinubu may not be a match for the Turaki Adamawa and even with the power of APC incumbency, it may be difficult for Tinubu to win the Presidency. However, the days ahead will be the most interesting period to watch this battle of the titans.

The candidate of the labour party, Peter Obi is becoming more popular especially among the youth by the day but does he have the political structures, national spread, and financial muscle the Turaki has? except by God’s grace.

Wishing Turaki Adamawa the best of luck this time around as he is a man who can be trusted to resolve the present issues the country is facing. He is a political guru and an entrepreneur who has ran many successful businesses across the nation and has proved to have the capacity to turn things around and he is still a political force to reckon with.

Mike Adekaa
Writes from Gboko, Benue state.
M_ adeks2000@yahoo.com

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Nyesom Wike, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi are among others who have declared on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections.

Wike said that his decision to contest the election that determines President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor was basically to address the challenges confronting the nation under the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government.

Wike made the declaration during a consultative meeting with stakeholders of the Benue chapter of the PDP at the Government House in Makurdi on Sunday, as well as on his official social media handles.

The governor, while soliciting the stakeholders’ vote ahead of the party’s national delegates convention, argued that the southern region of Nigeria deserves right to produce the next president.

“To remove APC from power, I’m the person who can tell them enough is enough. We must take this power and I’m ready to take it for PDP. God is with us that’s why APC keeps failing every day. I’m declaring it (presidential ambition) for the first time in Benue. I’m going to run for election,” he added.

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