Category Nigeria News

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Ehilebo, has alleged that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is responsible for the crisis in the opposition party. 

Ehilebo said this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, claiming Wike is still aggrieved over the outcome of the PDP presidential primary of 2022, an exercise he lost to ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar.

“I want to speak directly to the FCT minister because he is the root of this whole issue. He was upset about what happened in 2023, so he worked for the All Progressives Congress(APC),” Ehilebo said on the breakfast show.

He said “that grievance” has lingered longer than expected, adding that Wike’s action is below the standards expected of him.

“As a young man, we look up to people who should be standard, and what he is doing today doesn’t set the standard,” the PDP chieftain said.

READ ALSO: Abdulrahman-Led PDP Schedules National Convention For March 28, 29

Ehilebo warned Wike to be careful.

“History is not going to write itself another way; history is going to come along and say, ‘Here was a man that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)had gifted everything to at every stage of his life’”.

The PDP chieftain alleged that ex-vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election, Peter Obi, and the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, defected to another party, partly due to Wike’s attitude.

“Wike, they said, had control of Anambra PDP. Peter [Obi] didn’t even have a say in his own state. We always appeal to the conscience of the man with the most power, who is Wike.

“He always somehow finds himself in power,” he said

Ehilebo said, “This is not to discredit him but to tell him that history is watching the actions he takes today.”

He, however, claimed Wike “has so devalued the party by keeping it in court and sustaining actions.

“We cannot deny his involvement with what is happening in the party, but he should remember that the party has a duty to uphold opposition action against the government,” he said.

The crisis in the PDP dates to the aftermath of the PDP presidential primary in 2022, an election Atiku won by beating Wike and other aspirants.

Aggrieved by the outcome of that exercise, Wike, then governor of Rivers State, argued that the party’s ticket should go to Southern Nigeria instead of Atiku, who is from the north.

Efforts to reconcile Wike and other aggrieved top shots of the PDP failed. The fallout led the ex-governor and his group, called the G-5, to back the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election.

President Bola Tinubu, the APC flagbearer in that poll, defeated Atiku, Obi, and others to clinch the country’s exalted seat. Upon assumption of office, Tinubu appointed Wike as FCT minister.

Last year, during the now nullified convention of the PDP, leaders of the party expelled Wike and other chieftains. But the FCT minister has insisted he is still a member of the party, describing the convention in Oyo State as a jamboree.

Police authorities in Ebonyi have arrested the coordinator of Amasiri Development Centre, Anya Baron-Ogbonnia, in Afikpo Local Government Area, and two traditional rulers, over the killings in Okporojo, Edda Local Government Area of the state.

Four people were beheaded during the attack. The Ebonyi Police Command’s spokesman, Joshua Ukandu, identified the traditional rulers as Onyaidam Bassey and Godfrey Oko-Obia.

“Yes, following the attack, the coordinator of Amasiri, two traditional rulers, and other individuals were arrested during a joint security operation,” Ukandu, a Superintendent of Police, said.

“All suspects are currently in our custody, and investigations are ongoing. The command will not relent until everyone involved is brought to justice.”

READ ALSO: Gov Nwifuru Sacks Commissioner, Withdraws Monarch’s Certificate Over Ebonyi Killings

Ukandu noted the joint operation was carried out by the police, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He said that 10 suspects had earlier been arrested as investigations continued.

The recent killing in Ebonyi followed a long-standing land dispute between the people of Okporojor in Oso Edda community, Edda LGA, and their neighbours from Amasiri in Afikpo LGA.

The dispute escalated on January 29, when suspected armed persons attacked Okporojor village, killing four residents and destroying houses and property. Three of those killed were reportedly beheaded.

Worried by the incident, the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, dissolved the political and traditional leadership structures of the Amasiri clan in Afikpo LGA.

Nwifuru sacked the officials on Sunday during a visit to Okporojo village in the Oso Edda community.

Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify in a US House investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the ex-president said, heading off a potential vote to hold the couple in contempt.

The Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.

A court, meanwhile, is due to hear a request on Wednesday to block access to investigative files linked to Epstein, the New York Times reported, after victims said their names had not been redacted.

The Justice Department released last week what it said would be the final batch of pages, photos and videos from the Epstein files, adding fuel to a political drama that has put pressure on President Donald Trump.

But the department was left scrambling after names of alleged victims — who were supposed to be anonymized — were left unredacted, according to lawyers quoted by the Times.

In a letter to judges, Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson from the Florida legal firm Edwards Henderson cited an email published in the cache of documents “listing 32 minor child victims, with only one name redacted and 31 left visible”.

READ ALSO: Epstein Survivors Say Abusers ‘Remain Hidden’ After Latest Files Release

Another woman said that her full address had been published in the files.

The lawyers requested an “immediate takedown” of the government website showing the files.

District Judge Richard M. Berman said in a short order that he would hold a hearing on Wednesday, adding: “I am not certain how helpful I can be.”

On Sunday the Justice Department said it was “working around the clock” to make further redactions to the files after New York Times journalists had found dozens of naked photos that include people’s faces.

Those photos have since been largely removed or redacted, the Times reported.

‘Setting a precedent’

The House Rules Committee had advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of defying subpoenas to appear in person to explain their links to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019.

The couple had originally refused to appear before lawmakers examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into the disgraced financier, who had connections and correspondence with the world’s business and political elite.

But Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said on X that “the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”

Democrats say the probe is being weaponized to attack political opponents of Trump — himself a longtime Epstein associate who has not been called to testify — rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.

Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of investigative files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating ties with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities.

Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein’s activities.

In letters where they initially refused to appear in Washington, the Clintons had argued that the subpoenas were invalid because they lacked a clear legislative purpose.

Republicans say the Democratic couple’s past links to the business tycoon, including Bill Clinton’s use of his private jet in the early 2000s, justify in‑person questioning under oath.

Instead, the couple submitted sworn written statements describing their knowledge of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited his private island.

Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island.

After the Clintons agreed to testify, the Rules Committee decided Monday evening to suspend its vote on the contempt proceedings.

US President Donald Trump said Monday his administration would seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard University after a New York Times report said the college had won some concessions in ongoing settlement negotiations with the government.

“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump officials have accused Harvard and other colleges of promoting so-called “woke” ideology while failing to sufficiently protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests, filing legal complaints and demanding exorbitant payouts.

Critics have called it a pressure campaign by the administration on liberal universities.

Fellow Ivy League institution Columbia University agreed to pay the Trump administration $200 million last summer and pledged to obey rules that bar it from taking race into consideration in admissions or hiring.

But the New York Times earlier on Monday reported Trump had dropped his administration’s demands for a settlement payout of $200 million from Harvard, after protracted talks.

Trump told reporters last September that negotiations were close to reaching a $500 million settlement with Harvard, with part of the deal including the opening of trade schools.

“They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down in that it was wholly inadequate and would not have been, in our opinion, successful,” Trump said in his post late Monday evening.

“It was merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement of more than 500 Million Dollars, a number that should be much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities that they have committed,”  he added, without specifying what laws Harvard has allegedly broken.

The University of Pennsylvania, another Ivy League institution, also bowed to Trump administration concerns last year, announcing it would ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports.

The Lagos Government has again defended the Makoko demolition, explaining that the action forms part of a broader statewide safety and environmental policy aimed at preventing disasters linked to unsafe settlements, fire outbreaks, and high-risk infrastructure locations.

This is according to the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on eGIS and Urban Development, Olajide Babatunde, who spoke during a press briefing held at Alausa, Ikeja.

Babatunde said the state’s intervention in Makoko was driven primarily by the need to protect lives, particularly in areas located beneath high-tension power lines.

According to him, similar clearance exercises had been carried out in several parts of Lagos following fatal incidents caused by fallen power cables, stressing that Makoko was not singled out for enforcement.

READ ALSO: [Makoko Demolitions] Community Leader Alleges Police Disrupted Protest With Teargas, Gunshots

“Clearing of high-tension corridors is a safety requirement across Lagos State. The action taken in Makoko is consistent with what has been done in other communities,” he said.

He explained that the government had earlier explored multiple redevelopment options for Makoko, including a proposed shoreline extension project.

However, the plan was discontinued after environmental assessments by technical experts, construction firms, and international partners indicated that it posed significant ecological risks to the lagoon and surrounding marine life.

According to him, the state has since adopted the Water Cities Project as a more sustainable alternative, which allows for continued habitation of the fishing community while addressing sanitation, infrastructure, and environmental concerns.

Babatunde disclosed that the Lagos State Government has committed $2 million to the project and continues to engage international development partners for counterpart funding and technical support.

He also highlighted the government’s broader urban regeneration strategy, which prioritises stakeholder engagement, compensation, and resettlement where relocation becomes unavoidable.

The aide previous regeneration projects in Okobaba, Adeniji-Adele, and Dosunmu as examples where redevelopment was achieved through consultation and negotiated agreements with affected residents and traders.

The Special Adviser pointed to recurring fire incidents, building collapses, and poor access for emergency services in densely populated settlements as key reasons for enforcing building codes, minimum setbacks, and land pooling in regeneration areas.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Abdulrahman Muhammed has officially scheduled its National Convention for March 28 and 29, 2026, in Abuja, following its 105th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Monday.

The meeting, chaired by Muhammed, National Caretaker Committee Chairman, with Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, discussed the state of the party, preparations for upcoming congresses, and judicial developments affecting the PDP.

The NEC reaffirmed the legitimacy and authority of the Abdulrahman Muhammed-led National Caretaker Committee, emphasizing that it remains the only lawful national administrative organ of the party and will continue to act as the National Working Committee (NWC) until elected leadership is installed.

The committee also approved the schedule for party congresses across the country: Ward Congresses: February 2026; Local Government Congresses: February 2026; State Congresses: March 2026.

The party directed the National Caretaker Committee to issue detailed guidelines and notices for the congresses, ensuring compliance with the PDP Constitution, INEC regulations, and judicial directives.

Welcoming the judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, the NEC reiterated its support for the independence of the judiciary and urged all party organs and members to act strictly in accordance with court rulings.

In preparation for the national convention, the NEC instructed the immediate activation of convention sub-committees and the commencement of all logistical and administrative arrangements. It also extended the tenure of state and zonal caretaker committees pending the conduct of congresses and the convention.