Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has maintained that he will continue dancing, insisting that the pastime has no impact on his ability to govern effectively.

Adeleke, widely known as “the dancing governor,” has frequently faced criticism from political opponents who argue that his public displays of dance reflect a lack of seriousness.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the governor dismissed the criticism, describing dancing as a personal form of worship and relaxation.

“I will keep dancing because I love to dance and praise my God. It doesn’t change anything,” he said.

“Everyone has their way of relaxing. My hobby is to dance, and it does not affect my work.”

Adeleke recently resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the Accord Party, where he has since emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the August 8, 2026 election.

Explaining his defection, the governor said the move was necessary to protect his administration’s people-focused policies and strengthen his re-election prospects.

“To ensure continuity and the long-term sustainability of our people-centered governance agenda beyond 2026, we have taken the bold step of moving to the Accord Party,” Adeleke said.

The Rivers State House of Assembly has refuted Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s claim that certain elders were obstructing planned reconciliation meetings between him and the lawmakers.

Speaking in Port Harcourt yesterday, Speaker Martins Amaewhule described the governor’s remarks as misleading and unfair, insisting that several peace meetings, facilitated by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, had indeed taken place.

According to Amaewhule, Wike convened a meeting in Abuja between the governor and the 27 lawmakers loyal to the former governor.

He added that another round of talks was later held at the GRA residence of Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, in the presence of members of the Elders Council and other stakeholders.

The Speaker said the lawmakers were taken aback by Fubara’s public denial of these engagements.

Amaewhule further accused the governor of ignoring resolutions reached at those meetings, particularly regarding the submission of the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

He alleged that Fubara had been spending state funds without legislative approval and awarding contracts to individuals linked to the arson attack on the Assembly complex.

“From September, the governor has been spending without our consent,” he said.

“He awards contracts to those behind the burning of the Assembly and they mock us, boasting of being rewarded.”

He added that the Assembly had remained silent in order to avoid escalating political tensions, especially after President Bola Tinubu’s intervention aimed at restoring peace.

Amaewhule also disclosed that an investigation into activities during the period of emergency rule revealed that the former Administrator left over N600 billion in the state’s coffers, a revelation he believes may have contributed to the governor’s hostility.

He faulted Fubara’s response to a recent House Committee on Education report detailing the decay in the state’s education sector, accusing the governor of resorting to personal attacks on the Assembly rather than addressing governance challenges.

“The governor’s comments about the FCT minister are unhelpful. As a leader, he should be above reactionary politics,” the Speaker said, alleging that Fubara was funding social media attacks against lawmakers.

Amaewhule also claimed that the Assembly had begun considering a defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, a move he said prompted Fubara to sponsor legal actions seeking to declare their seats vacant.

Those attempts, he noted, failed.

He noted that the Assembly remained committed to its constitutional responsibilities and welcomed Fubara’s recent move to the APC but urged him to act within the law.

Former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, has been ordered to be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.

The order was issued on Friday by Justice Mariam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory High Court after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the former Anambra State governor on an eight-count charge bordering on corruption involving ₦2.2 billion.

Justice Hassan adjourned proceedings to Monday, December 15, for the formal hearing of the bail request.

During Friday’s session, EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.

He also urged the judge to permit Ngige to remain in EFCC custody pending the court’s decision on bail.

However, Ngige’s counsel objected, noting that the former minister had already spent three days in EFCC detention.

He described Ngige as a well-known public figure who last held office barely a year and three months ago and assured the court that the defence team was ready to meet any bail conditions set by the court.

He also informed the judge that the defendant was in poor health and required medical attention.

Ngige arrived at the FCT High Court around 8:10 am under EFCC escort before being formally arraigned. Court documents show he was listed as the sole defendant in charge number FCT/HC/CR/726/2025.

The EFCC alleged that Ngige, while serving as Minister of Labour and supervising the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), used his office to grant unlawful advantages to several companies linked to his associates.

According to the eight-count charge dated October 31 and filed on December 9:

Count One: He allegedly influenced the award of seven NSITF contracts worth ₦366,470,920.68 to Cezimo Nigeria Limited, owned by his associate Ezebinwa Amarachukwu Charles.

Count Two: He was accused of awarding eight contracts valued at ₦583,682,686.00 to Zitacom Nigeria Limited, also linked to Ezebinwa.

Count Three: Ngige allegedly facilitated the award of eight contracts amounting to ₦362,043,163.16 to Jeff & Xris Limited, owned by Nwosu Jideofor Chukwunwike, another associate.

Count Four: He was said to have used his position to help Olde English Consolidated Limited, owned by Uzoma Igbonwa, secure four NSITF contracts worth ₦668,138,141.00.

All alleged offences were said to have occurred between September 2015 and May 2023.

The court is expected to rule on Ngige’s bail application at the next hearing.

The Taminu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not pleaded with any governor or member to remain in the party, insisting that its current outreach efforts are aimed solely at rebuilding and strengthening the organisation.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, stated this during a live television programme on Thursday night.

He explained that the new leadership has been engaging stakeholders across all levels, including governors, but is not pressuring anyone to stay.

Ememobong said while former Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party was the result of “unfortunate circumstances,” Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara played a direct role in the crisis that ultimately led to his exit.

According to him, “Every executive has the power to take decisions that may be legal but morally questionable.”

“So, we are not begging anyone. The Turaki-led NWC is reaching out, just as the governors’ forum is also reaching out. But there is always a fine line between what is illegal and what is immoral.”

Speaking on Adeleke’s departure, Ememobong said the former governor became entangled in a chain of events the party could have managed better if stronger decisions had been taken earlier.

He explained that weak responses from PDP leaders after the party’s decline in 2023 allowed internal issues to fester.

“At leadership level, decisive action should have been taken from 2023. Instead, we kept negotiating, hoping that when tempers cooled, stakeholders would reconsider.”

“Unfortunately, things deteriorated until the Ibadan convention made its pronouncement,” he said.

Ememobong rejected suggestions that the party was making excuses for Fubara or Adeleke, saying both men contributed to the crises that engulfed them.

He said Fubara had consistently avoided transparency about the alleged agreements made with those who helped him emerge as PDP candidate.

“We sympathise with him as a person,” he said. “Fubara has always been a calm, gentle individual pushed to the wall. But attempting to shift the blame is what we oppose.”

The spokesman said even fellow governors had at various points reached out to support Fubara, only to find him unresponsive.

“Some governors told me they deployed help, but he would either go silent or say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll handle it.’ Volenti non fit injuria, no harm is done to a willing party,” Ememobong added.

He accused the governor of selective memory regarding the origins of the crisis, likening it to “Stockholm syndrome, where a captive begins to identify with the captor.”

Ememobong argued that third parties only intervene in political conflicts after affected actors confirm the existence of a crisis.

“If agreements are holding and the state is not suffering, there is no reason to intervene because you wouldn’t even know there was an agreement,” he said.

He faulted Fubara for failing to consult the party or the PDP Governors’ Forum before attending a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the height of the crisis.

“Even after his election, it took a long time before he properly identified with the party,” he said.

“We understood that his hands might have been tied. But once he felt the heat, he started calling for help.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) to the Senate for consideration and approval.

Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau read the President’s request during Thursday’s plenary.

In the letter titled “Submission of the FGN 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper,” Tinubu said the documents had been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its December 3, 2025 meeting.

He emphasised that the 2026 national budget will be prepared based on the fiscal assumptions and parameters contained in the approved MTEF/FSP and therefore urged lawmakers to expedite their review.

Among the key assumptions endorsed by FEC are a crude oil benchmark price of $64.85 per barrel and an exchange rate of N1,512 to $1 for the 2026 budget cycle.

Barau referred the submission to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa, with a directive to present its report by December 17.

The Senate thereafter adjourned plenary to enable committees to continue examining the fiscal framework.

President Tinubu also transmitted the same documents to the House of Representatives, where Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu formally read them.

The MTEF/FSP serves as the foundation for the federal budget under the Fiscal Responsibility Act and must be approved by the National Assembly before the 2026 Appropriation Bill can be presented.

The Labour Party has insisted that no aspirant will be granted an automatic ticket for the 2027 general elections, including its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, made the clarification in an exclusive interview with DAILY GAZETTE, amid growing speculation about Obi’s next political move and his strained relationship with the Julius Abure–led leadership of the party.

According to Ifoh, while the party remains open to reconciliation with Obi and other dissatisfied members, its internal democratic processes will not be compromised.

“We have said it repeatedly: all tickets will be decided at the party’s convention. Every aspirant, whether for president, governor, or chairman, must emerge through a democratic process. There is no automatic ticket for anyone,” he said.

Ifoh explained that Obi has kept his distance from the current leadership for about a year, adding that only Obi can clarify his political allegiance.

“He is the only one who can say whether he is still in the Labour Party or elsewhere. In the past year, he has not engaged with the leadership, and that is simply the reality,” he noted.

On why the issue of Obi was not discussed during the recent NEC meeting, Ifoh said the gathering was focused strictly on launching congresses and primaries.

“Our NEC meeting was to commence congresses, and we have done so successfully. INEC monitored the process and everything is moving as expected. By 2027, we hope to have achieved all that we set out to do,” he added.

The tension between Obi and the Abure-led leadership dates back to the aftermath of the 2023 presidential election.

Obi’s camp accused the chairman of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency, and attempts to seize control of party structures, accusations Abure consistently denied.

The disputes triggered multiple internal factions and court cases, further deepening the rift.

Party insiders say Obi became frustrated with the persistent infighting and leadership tussles, which he believed undermined efforts to build a credible reform-driven movement.

By early 2024, he had withdrawn from most party activities, leaving his political future uncertain.

The Labour Party’s latest position comes as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) renews calls for Obi to decide whether he will join its emerging coalition for the 2027 polls.

Although the ADC has acknowledged Obi’s political weight, it insists it will not bend its internal principles or zoning arrangements to accommodate him.

ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi said, “If zoning is the condition for Obi to join us, then maybe he should wait.”

Obi’s close ally and former campaign spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, urged the ADC to give the former governor more time, noting that Obi must conduct broad consultations before making a final decision.

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has spent his fourth consecutive night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after failing to meet the bail conditions set for him.

Malami has been detained since Monday.

DAILY GAZETTE earlier reported that he is under investigation for 18 alleged offences, including abuse of office and terrorism financing.

Multiple EFCC officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed on Thursday that the former AGF remained in detention.

“He is still in our custody. He has been here since Monday because he has not met the bail conditions,” one of the sources said.

The former AGF has, however, refuted claims linking him to terrorism financing or the ownership of 46 bank accounts, describing the allegations as “false, baseless, and part of a coordinated media trial.”

In a statement issued by his media aide, Mohammed Bello Doka, Malami said no Nigerian or foreign security agency had ever investigated or accused him of terrorism financing.

“There is no allegation, investigation or charge of terrorism financing against Abubakar Malami, SAN. The claims about ‘46 bank accounts’ are completely fictitious and unsupported by any official record,” the statement read.

He also noted that a retired military officer previously cited in media reports had since clarified that he never accused Malami of sponsoring terrorism.

Malami argued that the allegations were at odds with his work as minister, citing his role in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing regime, including establishing the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and championing key legislation in 2022.

He explained that his recent questioning by the EFCC focused primarily on alleged duplication in the recovery of the Abacha loot.

According to him, no recovery process was completed before 2016, and therefore there was nothing to duplicate.

Addressing claims involving a Swiss lawyer who had reportedly sought engagement on the recovery process, Malami said the lawyer reapplied in 2016 demanding fees of up to 40 per cent, an offer rejected by the Buhari administration, which maintained a 5 per cent cap on legal fees.

He added that engaging Nigerian lawyers at the capped rate saved the country “tens of billions of naira.”

Malami further maintained that the various tranches of the Abacha loot repatriated between 2017 and 2020 were handled under separate monitoring arrangements supervised by the World Bank, civil society groups and international partners.