Ahead of the 2027 elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC)-led coalition has intensified efforts to galvanize support across Northern Nigeria in a strategic campaign to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The 3rd expanded meeting of the National Political Consultative Group (North) convened on Saturday at Continental Hotel, Abuja.

Speaking at the event, ADC Protem National Chairman, Senator David Mark, highlighted insecurity, extreme poverty, and ethno-religious conflicts as some of the most pressing challenges afflicting the North.

Describing the North as a region blessed with rich history, vast mineral resources, fertile agricultural land, and a vibrant cultural diversity, Mark affirmed that the ADC is the only political vehicle capable of leading the North out of its current predicament.

In his keynote address titled “Unity and social cohesion as a panacea to the challenges facing northern Nigeria,” Mark expressed deep concern over how banditry, terrorism, insurgency, and communal clashes have ravaged villages, displaced millions, and crippled the economy over the past decade.

Despite its abundant resources, he lamented, the North remains the poorest region in Nigeria, plagued by high levels of illiteracy, unemployment, and inadequate infrastructure. He attributed these woes to poor governance.

Mark urged Nigerians in the North to learn from the legacies of the late Premier of the North, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and the leader of the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU), Malam Aminu Kano, emphasizing the need for unity to restore sustainable development.

He stressed, “As leaders, as politicians or just as ordinary citizens, all of us must consider it our sacred duty to be bridge-builders, not dividers in our local communities.”

“Too often, as politicians, we exploit ethnic and religious differences to win elections, and thereafter, we leave our people hopelessly divided.”

He added, “The destructive weaponisation of ethnicity and religion we saw in the last election is unacceptable. This is where the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will make the difference. For us, politics is about service and not manipulation.”

Mark identified marginalization as the primary source of division in Northern Nigeria, saying, “We must ensure fairness in appointments, resource allocation, and opportunities. Resentment grows when any group feels excluded. But when all see themselves as equal stakeholders, peace flourishes.”

He warned, “Ignorance is the biggest enemy of unity, social cohesion and development. We must invest in education that teaches our children the value of diversity.”

“Let our schools, churches and mosques preach tolerance. Let our media promote stories of cooperation. For as long as we continue to treat investment in education with levity and frivolity, for that long shall we continue to reap poverty and insecurity.”

On the security situation, Mark stated, “Our security challenges are self-inflicted. We cannot continue to expect solutions from elsewhere. Northern Nigeria used to be the safest part of Nigeria.”

“There were no armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism or fraudsters, but today the story in the North is different.”

He recalled, “The Native Authority, the precursor of today’s Local Government Area, used to have an effective community policing infrastructure where villagers protected each other. We have to find a way to reorganise our people in their villages to return to these age-old and tested practices.”

On conflict resolution, Mark appealed, “Wherever conflicts arise, we must choose dialogue over inflammatory rhetoric, peace mediation over mutual annihilation, repentance and forgiveness over vengeance. Too much blood has been shed in our land. It is time to make peace.”

Notable members of the coalition attending the meeting included former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, and former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has boldly stated that he faces no serious opposition in the upcoming November 8 governorship election, dismissing his rivals as mere fundraisers rather than actual contenders, DAILY GAZETTE reports.

Speaking at an endorsement rally held in Awka by stakeholders from the Anambra Central Senatorial Zone, Soludo accused those vying against him of entering the race only to solicit money from influential politicians.

“They are not contesting, they are doing fund raisings. I hear they have been going around begging top politicians, ministers that ‘you know I’m contesting for governor, please support me’,” Soludo remarked.

This event marked the second major endorsement of Soludo’s re-election bid, following a similar show of support in Otuocha, Anambra East, where stakeholders from the Anambra North Senatorial Zone described his candidacy as a consensus ticket for the state.

During his address, the governor emphasized the importance of maintaining Anambra’s political zoning arrangement, stating it would be unfair to truncate the system that has fostered peace and equity in leadership rotation across the zones.

“A few weeks ago a rally like this happened in the North Senatorial Zone, and all the stakeholders, community leaders, traditional rulers, youths, students, all declared that our ticket is a consensus for Anambra,” he said.

“Today too, you (Anambra Central) are here to declare that this ticket is the consensus ticket for the 2025 election.”

Soludo reiterated his plan to hand over power to the Central Zone after completing his second term, arguing that electing anyone else from the South, where he hails from, would distort the zoning cycle.

“I want to remind you people that we have zoning system in Anambra. It started with Central Zone with Peter Obi. When he finished, everyone agreed that for there to be order, fairness and equity that zoning be institutionalised.

“After then it went to the North and for eight years Obiano was governor and after that it went to South (where Soludo hails from) and South is going to have it for eight years, after that it would be central again,” he explained.

“I don’t know who else is contesting in this election, but we heard that some people are contesting but we don’t know who they are. But I want to assure you that after South, power will shift to Central. Any one coming from South to contest against me wants power to stay in the South for 12 years.

“If anyone else from South gets to power, he will stay for eight years and that will delay the turn of the central. So, four more years for Soludo is better than eight years by anyone else, so that central can take their turn.”

The governor claimed that many of his so-called opponents are not genuinely running for office but are seeking personal gain through political fundraising.

“We have not started our campaign and have not constituted a campaign council. We are not contesting the election with anyone. Anambra is APGA and APGA is Anambra. All Progressives contesting against me know what they are contesting for and not for governor, and they know. In Anambra, progressives are working together,” he said.

“We are targeting to win at least 90 percent of all the electoral wards in the Central Senatorial Zone.”

Governor Soludo also revealed that he has moved into the newly completed Anambra Light House City (New Government House).

“We will continue to work for Anambra people. Let me announce to you that I have officially moved into the Anambra Light House City (New Government House). I moved there officially yesterday and I slept there last night, woke up this morning and simply strolled to this venue. You have not seen anything yet, we have more in line for Anambra people.”

DAILY GAZETTE reports that the rally featured endorsements from political leaders, student representatives, and market and community leaders.

Notable figures like Osita Chidoka and Okey Muo-Aroh also addressed the gathering.

The event concluded with Hon. Chukwuma Okoye, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, reading a formal communiqué of support from the Central Senatorial Zone.

Governor Adeleke

The Federal Government has asked the Supreme Court to compel the Osun State Government to refund seven months’ worth of statutory allocations meant for its local government councils.

In a filing made by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the Federal Government claims Osun must return the withheld allocations to the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The request was presented by Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), counsel to the AGF, in response to a suit filed by Osun State.

Osun State had earlier sued the Attorney General of the Federation, alleging that the Federal Government failed to release the statutory allocation due to its 30 local government councils for March 2025.

The case, marked SC/CV/379/2025, was filed solely against the AGF.

In its claim, the Osun State Government asserted that when it contacted the Ministry of Finance for clarification on the delay, the Minister of Finance, Wale Odun, responded by saying he was acting based on directives from the Attorney General of the Federation.

However, Fagbemi denied the allegation and questioned the legal basis of Osun’s suit.

He described the lawsuit as an abuse of court process and argued that Osun State had acted in defiance of an earlier Supreme Court judgment dated July 11, 2024.

In a strongly worded response, the AGF’s office argued that:

“The plaintiff is not entitled to be heard due to contempt. The plaintiff has no right of appeal against the Supreme Court’s decision.”

“The case does not present a genuine dispute to trigger the court’s original jurisdiction under Section 232(1) of the Constitution. The plaintiff has no locus standi to sue on behalf of local governments.”

Fagbemi further argued that only the local governments themselves not the state government can initiate legal action over unpaid funds:

“If any LG has been wrongly deprived of its funds, it is the council itself, not the state government that has the right to sue.”

The AGF maintained that Osun State had no constitutional authority to present itself as a legal representative or “watchdog” over local government finances.

To support the AGF’s position, a counter-affidavit was filed by Taye Oloyede, the Special Assistant to the President, who affirmed that neither the AGF nor the Minister of Finance had issued any directive to withhold Osun’s LG allocations.

The AGF’s legal team also criticized Osun’s reliance on the 2004 Supreme Court ruling in AG Lagos State v. AG Federation, arguing that the circumstances in that case were different and did not justify the current claim.

Fagbemi contended “The plaintiff has incorrectly depended on the 2004 Supreme Court case of AG Lagos State v. AG Federation, where the court mandated the release of withheld funds to Lagos State.”

At the 3rd Expanded Meeting of the National Political Consultative Group (North) held at Abuja’s Continental Hotel, former Senate President and ADC Interim National Chairman David Mark asserted that many of the challenges facing Northern Nigeria such as poverty, insecurity, and economic hardship, are largely self-inflicted.

Speaking on the theme “Unity and Social Cohesion as a Panacea to the Challenges Facing Northern Nigeria,” Mark emphasized that blaming external forces won’t solve regional woes.

“We must first admit that we are the architects of our problems, we must stop the blame game if we truly and genuinely want to find a lasting solution.”

He recounted the region’s once-great heritage:

“The North as we know is a land of rich history and mineral resources, fertile land for agriculture, diverse cultures, and immense potential. In spite of these blessings, we are confronted with deep-seated challenges of insecurity, poverty, ethnic and religious tensions, political fragmentation, social and economic stagnation.”

Mark warned that continued disunity and inaction will further deepen the crisis: “Division has hindered the North’s progress, while apathy and lack of action have only widened the existing rift.”

He proposed a return to shared values: “If we are to overcome our present travails, we must return to the principles of justice, equity, mutual respect, and shared purpose that once made Northern Nigeria a beacon of hope, peace, unity and development.”

The former Senate President lamented that the North, once a model of security and cohesion, has now become the most troubled region in the country:

“Over the last decade, banditry, terrorism, insurgency and communal clashes have turned our villages into battlegrounds… Despite its vast resources, the North remains the poorest region in the country, with alarming rates of illiteracy, unemployment and poor infrastructure.”

He also criticized how ethnic and religious differences have been exploited:

“Mistrust between and among ethnic groups and religious communities has been exploited by selfish and desperate interests, leading to violent conflicts.”

On the role of political leaders, Mark made a passionate appeal: “Too often, as politicians, we exploit ethnic and religious differences in order to win elections…and thereafter, we leave our people hopelessly divided.”

He reaffirmed that “For us, politics is about service and not manipulation.”

Mark stressed the importance of fairness and inclusion: “The major cause of division in Northern Nigeria is the perception of marginalisation. We must ensure fairness in appointments, resource allocation, and opportunities.”

Highlighting the role of education and civic values: “Ignorance is the biggest enemy of unity, social cohesion and development. We must invest in education that teaches our children the value of diversity.”

He called for concrete intervention to break the cycle of violence:

“By generating employment, investing in agriculture, and empowering the youth, the North can eliminate the drivers of crime and insurgency.”

On restoring security at the community level, Mark referenced past models:

“Northern Nigeria used to be the safest part of Nigeria… The Native Authority… used to have an effective community policing infrastructure where villagers protected each other.”

He urged peaceful conflict resolution: “Wherever conflicts arise, we must choose dialogue over inflammatory rhetoric, peace mediation over mutual annihilation, repentance and forgiveness over vengeance.”

“The North is bleeding profusely, and we are the only ones who can heal it. Let us commit today to: Reject hate speech and divisive politics. Invest in unifying projects, education, healthcare and infrastructure. Hold each other accountable for our actions and inactions. Shake hands across the divide and restore our bond of brotherhood.”