Senate President Godswill Akpabio has lauded the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding Senator Monday Okpebholo’s election as Governor of Edo State, describing the ruling as a victory for democracy and the expressed will of Edo voters.

In a statement personally signed by him, Akpabio applauded the decision of the apex court, which he said reflected the transparency of the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election.

“What the apex court in the land has done is to affirm the will and wishes of the overwhelming majority of the people of Edo State. It shows that the election was transparent, free and fair,” he said.

Further reinforcing this view, Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, issued a supplementary statement emphasizing that the judgment strengthens democratic ideals by confirming that elections must be determined at the polls.

“The declaration by the Supreme Court in favour of Senator Okpebholo against Mr. Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the legitimately and constitutionally elected governor of Edo State has proven that elections are won at the ballot and by people who have identified with the grassroots,” Akpabio was quoted as saying.

Akpabio also commended Governor Okpebholo for his governance style since taking office, expressing confidence in his ability to deliver over the course of his term.

“He’s done well in the past seven months, and I believe he will do excellently well in his four-year tenure,” he noted.

Pledging legislative support from the National Assembly, the Senate President extended his congratulations to Governor Okpebholo and promised a strong working partnership.

“I wish you success and I assure you of the Senate’s support and collaboration in ensuring the state’s progress and development. Congratulations once again, Governor Okpebholo. I look forward to a robust working relationship with you,” Akpabio said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has introduced a new online portal to streamline political party registration, following the surge of applications now totaling 129.

National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, announced in Abuja after INEC’s weekly meeting that the manual process is being replaced with a digital module within the Party Financial Reporting and Auditing System (PFRAS).

He stated, “Since last week, seven more applications have been received, bringing the total number so far to 129. All the requests are being processed.”

Olumekun added, “Unlike the manual method used in previous registration, the commission is introducing a political party registration portal which is a module in our PFRAS.”

“This will make the process faster and more seamless. In the next one week, the commission will conclude the final testing of the portal before deployment.”

He also noted further steps: “The commission will also issue guidelines to facilitate the filing of applications using the PFRAS.” The names of all new associations have already been uploaded to INEC’s website for public transparency.

In a separate development, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) held a strategic meeting in Abuja to address speculations about internal rifts.

The meeting brought together all 36 state chairmen along with the FCT chairman. They reaffirmed their support for the interim leadership led by former Senate President David Mark.

Speaking to journalists after the closed-door session, ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi explained the purpose:
“We invited all the state chairmen to reassure them that we have no intention to shove them aside. The purpose is to dispel all the falsehood and rumours making the rounds that we came to hijack the party from them.” He stressed that the leaders are “partners in building a stronger political party.”

Abdullahi added, “They are leaving Abuja today more assured than ever that they are critical stakeholders in the future of the ADC.”

Addressing recent criticisms by former presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu, who questioned the legality of the new coalition and leadership, Abdullahi maintained, “the party is on solid legal footing.”

Kingsley Ogga, Chairman of the ADC Forum of state chairmen and Kogi State party boss, confirmed united support for the interim leadership and coalition efforts.

When asked if anyone planned to step down, he replied, “Someone might feel differently, but nobody has come out to say so or go against what we are doing.”

Former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki says he has placed the legal outcome of the September 2024 governorship election in God’s hands, trusting divine justice will prevail.

This comment came after the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, affirming the election of APC’s Monday Okpebholo, a decision earlier upheld by the Court of Appeal.

While reacting to the apex court’s ruling, Obaseki expressed his belief that “the election was won by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Asue Ighodalo,” but said that he and his supporters are “bound by the verdict of the apex court.”

“I am profoundly grateful to the good people of Edo State and Nigerians for their overwhelming support for the victory, which we believe our party … won in the Edo State Governorship Election which took place on September 21, 2024.”

Obaseki added that despite believing the results were manipulated, he respected the judiciary system.

“Although we strongly disagree with the decision of the Supreme Court, but as adherents to the rule of law, we are bound by their verdict.”

He also warned that the way the election was conducted and then judicially validated “portends grave danger for Nigeria’s democracy.”

Nevertheless, he urged people of faith to hold onto hope and patience.

“As people of faith, we leave our matter in God’s hands, trusting that only He knows the appropriate time and manner to deliver divine justice and redemption to our people. I encourage our people to keep hope alive as we persist in the struggle to redeem our fatherland.”

A five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal ruled that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to prove claims of election non-compliance and unlawful votes, concluding that Okpebholo was duly elected.

The appeal was dismissed for lacking merit.

The verdict follows the Independent National Electoral Commission’s official announcement that Okpebholo won with 291,667 votes, against Ighodalo’s 247,274.

Though dissatisfied, Ighodalo acknowledged the decision publicly: “Like you, I feel a deep sense of betrayal. Not just by those who rigged the process, but by the very institutions we trusted to protect our democracy.”

Meanwhile, Okpebholo extended a peace gesture to his political rivals.

“The elections are over; the real work of governance and healing must begin,” he said in a statement released via his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua.

Mr. Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleges that corrupt Nigerian politicians are increasingly “hiding stolen public funds in cryptocurrencies to evade probes.”

He made the statement on Thursday during an Anti‑Corruption Day event organized by the African Union in Ibadan.

Represented by the EFCC’s Acting Zonal Director in Ibadan, Hajiya Hauwa Ringim, he warned that virtual assets are being misused to conceal illicit wealth.

“Virtual assets are digital monetary representations that could be traded or transferred,” Olukoyede said, stressing that while such assets “are not criminal,” they “become dangerous when used fraudulently.”

He lamented the damaging impact on Africa’s development due to illicit financial flows such as money laundering and digital fraud schemes.

The EFCC boss added that investigators have “observed an alarming increase in politicians using cryptocurrency wallets to store unexplained wealth and facilitate fraudulent investment activities.”

He emphasized that the EFCC is not standing idle, noting that “the agency was addressing the challenge with training and intelligence.”

He referenced a major breakthrough in the investigation of the CBEX investment scam as evidence of their efforts.

Olukoyede also cautioned the public: “most scams succeed due to lack of due diligence and delayed reporting of suspicious transactions to relevant authorities.”

He highlighted the continued prevalence of Ponzi schemes, warning that “desperate investors [easily] fall prey to enticing but fake digital investment promises.”

He urged a multifaceted approach to prevention, stating that “virtual assets fraud could be prevented through public awareness, proactive measures and stakeholder engagement by anti‑graft agencies as well as regulators.”

Adding his voice at the event, University of Ibadan criminologist Professor Oludayo Tade cautioned Nigerians about unrealistic investment offers in the digital space.

He advised: “avoid schemes offering suspiciously high returns, warning that 50 per cent profit within a week are clear signs of deceit.”

He also criticized the use of celebrity endorsements, noting that fraudsters “exploit the image of celebrities as well as influencers to build trust and deceive unsuspecting investors across media platforms.”

Tade called on government agencies to ramp up educational campaigns, arguing that “fraud prevention was more effective than belated enforcement actions.”

He emphasized the need for funding into investigative efforts and stricter punishment for offenders.

The event, held in Ibadan, brought together security advisers, command-level law enforcement officers, civil society groups, students, and youth leaders highlighting the broad concern around cryptocurrency-related financial crimes.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has revealed that the United States is applying pressure on African countries to take back Venezuelan deportees, a demand Nigeria finds difficult to accommodate.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Tuggar clarified that the recent 10 per cent tariffs imposed on Nigeria by the Trump administration may not be linked to Nigeria’s participation in the BRICS summit.

“The issue of tariffs may not necessarily have to do with us participating in BRICS,” he stated.

He further explained the complexity of the deportation issue, noting, “You have to also bear in mind that the U.S. is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the U.S., some straight out of prison.”

“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own.”

“We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud. We already have 230 million people. You will be the same people that would castigate us if we acquiesce to accepting Venezuelans from U.S. prisons to be brought in,” Tuggar added.

He also cautioned that accepting such deportees could set a precedent, saying, “The issue of accepting Venezuelan deportees, honestly, I don’t think is something that Nigeria is in a position to work with. And I think it would be unfair to insist that Nigeria accepts 300 Venezuelan deportees. Maybe that might just even be the beginning.”

Regarding the new US visa policy, Tuggar disputed claims that it was a reciprocal move.

“We are talking to the Americans. We are engaging them. We are also explaining and reminding them that we issue them five-year multiple entry visas, the same way that they issue regular travellers five-year multiple entry visas.”

He clarified the difference Nigeria introduced: “What Nigeria has done that differs is simple. We used to have a visa-on-arrival that wasn’t running efficiently.”

“We introduced these online electronic visas that you can apply so that it saves you time, instead of just arriving and then going through the process of getting the visa when you have already arrived.”

“We have different categories of visas. There are people that are first-time travelers that are coming as tourists that are probably not likely to come back to Nigeria again, maybe because they’re coming for a short while, and they get those 90-day visas.”

“So our visa is not saying that every American is only being given 90-day visas or three months or whatever. We give Americans, there are loads of Americans, that have these long-term visas. It is not based on reciprocity,” the minister emphasized.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to some state executive members and chapter chairmen alleged to be serving as coordinators for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

They have been instructed to either publicly denounce the report or resign from the PDP.

In a statement released following the party’s 28th State Working Committee (SWC) meeting on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, PDP leadership condemned the involvement of its officials in what was described as “a partisan publication,” and reaffirmed its stance on internal discipline and party integrity.

The statement, signed by State Publicity Secretary Prince Mike Ojisi, acknowledged members’ constitutional rights to freedom of association, but emphasised that such rights “must be exercised within the boundaries of the law and party regulations.”

“Any individual members wishing to join other political parties should first resign their membership from the party, as the Electoral Act does not support dual membership of political parties,” the statement read.

The SWC insisted that those named in the publication must “act honourably by either distancing themselves from the said publication or stepping down from their roles within the party.”

“Failure to comply within 48 hours, the statement warned, “would lead to the invocation of disciplinary measures as outlined in its constitution.”

Further, the PDP reaffirmed that it is “not in any form of coalition with any political party,” citing the resolution passed at its 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

“We therefore urge our Executive Committee members to prioritise their loyalty to the party and refrain from any activities and associations that may be perceived as defection or anti‑party activities,” the statement added.

Reassuring party members and supporters, the SWC expressed confidence in the PDP’s resurgence, calling for optimism about a future victory in the state.

“The party urges members to look with hope to the future, as better days are coming when the party will return to her winning ways,” Ojisi said.