The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the arrest of Dr. Mkor Aondona, Special Adviser to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on Documentation, Research, and Planning.

The EFCC Spokesman, Mr. Dele Oyewale, disclosed the development to journalists in Makurdi on Saturday.

He stated that Aondona was apprehended on Friday by operatives of the Commission’s Makurdi Zonal Directorate over allegations of sexual exploitation and cyberbullying.

According to Oyewale, several female students had lodged petitions against the aide, accusing him of various acts of unethical and criminal behaviour, including sexual exploitation, blackmail, and cyberbullying.

“The petitioners alleged that Aondona was routinely recruiting slim and attractive girls for ushering jobs and insisted on sexual favours as a condition for selection,” Oyewale explained.

He said the alleged pattern of abuse extended far beyond the recruitment process.

“Based on this, they became vulnerable to having sexual affairs with him but unknown to them, he had videos of every sexual act without their consent and was always threatening to leak the videos if they refused to continue having sex with him.”

The EFCC spokesman further revealed that the suspect was involved in distributing explicit materials.

“Aondona was also alleged to be involved in blackmail—sending explicit videos of the girls allegedly recorded without their knowledge or consent through several messaging platforms. Some of the videos are said to be in circulation,” he added.

Oyewale concluded by noting that the Commission is finalizing its investigation, and the suspect will soon be charged to court.

Former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by the late Moshood Abiola.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Lamido claimed that Tinubu and his late mother, Hajia Abibatu Mogaji, played supportive roles in Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s controversial annulment of the election results.

“I feel highly entertained by Tinubu’s rhetoric, the way he’s dramatising his role in Nigeria’s democracy,” Lamido said, casting doubt on the narrative often credited to Tinubu as a pro-democracy icon.

According to Lamido, Tinubu’s prominence in politics only grew after General Sani Abacha seized power, suggesting that his early political affiliations and actions contradicted the ideals of the democratic movement.

“Tinubu became relevant and noticeable after Abacha took over the government; before then, he was in the Senate while he was the secretary of the party,” Lamido explained.

He further alleged that Tinubu had been complicit in the annulment process.

“He was part of those who supported IBB’s annulment of the June 12 election,” he stated.

Lamido also leveled criticisms at Tinubu’s mother, claiming she mobilized support for Babangida from Lagos to Abuja at the height of the political crisis.

“His own mother Hajia Mogaji was organising Lagos market women to come to Abuja to pledge support for Babangida,” Lamido said.

In a controversial take on NADECO (the National Democratic Coalition), which has long been seen as a symbol of resistance against military rule and a platform for June 12 advocacy, Lamido challenged its true purpose.

“NADECO was postulated to fight Abacha not for June 12,” he declared.

The annulled June 12, 1993 election is widely considered the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, with Moshood Abiola believed to have won by a significant margin before the results were nullified by the military regime under Babangida.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed its decision to hold the 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on June 30, declaring that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has no legal authority to stop it.

At a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, criticized the intervention of INEC’s Acting Secretary, Halilu Aminu, questioning his motives and authority.

“INEC has no role in the regular meetings of the NWC or NEC,” Ologunagba stated.

“These are internal party matters, as clearly established by the Supreme Court in numerous rulings. INEC cannot cancel our meetings. It is the party’s prerogative to decide such matters. INEC has no authority to do so.”

Ologunagba emphasized that the PDP never designated the meeting as one to elect officers, hold primaries, or nominate candidates.

“We did not state that the meeting was for electing officers, conducting primaries, or nominating candidates for elective positions,” he added.

“Yet, the Acting Secretary of INEC, Halilu Aminu, decided to unilaterally assign a purpose to our meeting.”

The PDP has been embroiled in internal leadership disputes, particularly over the National Secretary position.

The conflict between Sunday Udeh-Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has caused significant delays to NEC meetings.

In a bid to stabilize the situation, the party appointed Setonji Koshoedo as Acting National Secretary.

However, a fact-finding committee led by Taraba State Governor, Kefas Agbu, reported that INEC recognizes Anyanwu as the substantive secretary.

This prompted INEC to reject the party’s May 30 notification for the upcoming NEC meeting, insisting that the letter must be co-signed by both the National Chairman and National Secretary, per its rules.

Ologunagba pushed back firmly on this position, citing Nigerian law and the PDP constitution:

“Now, whoever signs the letter is an interrupter of the party. If the court does not have jurisdiction over what happened with the internal affairs of the party, I wonder why INEC will have jurisdiction over it.”

“Because that is not the job of INEC. If we designate somebody to be the person to sign the letter, so be it. And that’s why it’s an internal affair of the party.”

He also raised broader concerns about the independence of INEC and its apparent interference in party affairs:

“Why the desperation to kill political parties? All they want is a party state, to stifle opposition. Which is just, like I have said earlier here, it’s wishful thinking, it’s hallucination.”

“And INEC should know that this is a hallucination. This country will not go into a one-party state and nobody, no matter how powerful, whether you’re a president or you’re a combination of presidents, it will not work.”

According to Ologunagba, the 100th NEC meeting will focus on preparations for the party’s national convention, including updates from the Zoning and Convention Committees formed during the 99th NEC meeting.

“At the 99th NEC meeting, it was unanimously agreed to schedule the next meeting for the 30th of June.”

“The constitution of the Zoning Committee and the Convention Committee was approved. Consultations with various organs of the party and stakeholders are ongoing,” he explained.

Addressing INEC’s rejection letter, Ologunagba reiterated that the party followed due process:

“For the record, there have been several times we have issued notices of 21 days’ notice for congresses or other meetings that require those things to INEC and we have had calls at some point to even shift those dates. So how did this acting secretary decide on his own to create and become a member of a political party and create for us an agenda that was not conveyed in the letter of the Acting National Chairman?”

He concluded with a warning about the broader implications of INEC’s actions:

“The challenge for us now as a party is to say, who is the acting secretary of INEC working for? What is the objective? Why is he creating an agenda for our party for a regular statutory meeting that is routine?”

“INEC has global partners, organisations that are interested in the body and support its independence, technical capacity, and credibility in the electoral process,” Ologunagba said.

“INEC’s actions could undermine democracy and erode international confidence in its capacity to deliver credible elections.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has hinted that the political landscape in Nigeria’s South-South region could shift significantly ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the possible defection of two key Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking during a high-profile reception at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, Akpabio welcomed Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno into the APC following his recent defection from the PDP on June 6.

The event drew a strong APC presence, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, and several governors and federal lawmakers.

Describing Eno’s defection as “symbolic,” Akpabio linked it to a larger trend of political realignment in the region.

“Today, Governor Otu is no longer an orphan. Thank you for being here to welcome your brothers, and you will welcome more brothers,” Akpabio said.

“Governor Sheriff of Delta, thank you for joining the progressives’ family and moving the South-South in the progressives’ direction. Governor Umo Eno, after you, who knows? Rivers State will tumble. After Rivers, Bayelsa will join.”

The Senate President also referred to the APC’s recent victory in Edo State’s Senate bye-election.

“Of course, we have won the election in Edo State. We produced our amiable senator, Monday Okpebholo,” he said.

Casting his gaze forward to the 2027 elections, Akpabio projected a united voting bloc in favour of the incumbent president.

“Come 2027, South-South will go one way; the South-South will vote for President Bola Tinubu,” he declared.

Currently, the APC governs four of the six South-South states, with Rivers and Bayelsa remaining under PDP leadership.