The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Monday hosted a crucial meeting in Abuja with stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the banner of “Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP.”

The gathering concluded with a strong demand that the party zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

The high-level meeting, which lasted several hours, produced a communique calling for greater internal democracy and adherence to party principles.

The group also insisted that the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, and the National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, issue a notice for a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Wike, who read the communique, emphasized the group’s demand for fairness and balance in the party’s future plans.

“In the spirit of fairness, inclusion, federal character principles and respect for our party constitution, the Party must make an unequivocal pronouncement zoning its presidential candidate to the South in the 2027 elections after the unbroken years of Northern President under President Muhammadu Buhari,” he stated.

The communique also stressed that “only the National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, can issue notices of meeting of the National Convention, National Executive Committee, National Caucus and the National Working Committee and to this end all notices not issued by him and actions founded on them, including correspondences to INEC are null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”

While it remained unclear if Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, a key G5 member, was present, his G5 colleagues—former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia)—attended, along with Senator Anyanwu, former Senate Minority Leader Philip Aduda, and other serving and former lawmakers and party executives.

The stakeholders condemned what they described as persistent disregard for the PDP constitution, citing sections 36(1)(a)(b)(c), 47(3)(5), and 48(1)(i), as well as a Supreme Court ruling on the position of National Secretary.

They warned of imminent collapse if the party fails to act decisively.

“The Eminent Stakeholders and Concerned Leaders are alarmed that the party is on an inevitable path to self-annihilation if urgent steps are not taken to rein in the desperate, divisive and selfish tendencies that brought the party to its knees in the lead-up to the 2023 election,” the communique read.

They reaffirmed Senator Anyanwu as the legitimate National Secretary and called for a proper NEC meeting in accordance with party rules.

“It is clear from the Constitution that only the National Convention, properly and duly constituted, can remove Senator Sam Anyanwu”

“We therefore demand that the Acting National Chairman and the National Secretary jointly issue a notice to INEC with an attached agenda for the National Executive Committee Meeting of the Party being the only pathway to abide by extant laws.”

The group urged party members to resist efforts to destabilize the PDP and backed the reconciliation efforts led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki.

“We, the stakeholders, reiterate our commitment to our great party and urge all members to uphold the rule of law, respect constitutional mandate, resist all machinations aimed at destabilizing the party and support the efforts of the National Reconciliation Committee headed by His Excellency, Senator Bukola Saraki.”

Earlier in the meeting, Wike welcomed attendees by stressing their commitment to the party’s future.

“All of you here are those who are committed to the survival of our party not just on TV talking or on the newspapers talking but committed to the party at the various levels.”

He credited the G5 governors with stabilizing the country through tough decisions.

“You may like us, you may hate us. The truth of the matter is if G5 did not take the decision we took, this country would have been in crisis. It doesn’t matter who the beneficiary was but the right thing had to be done and we still stand by that decision.”

Criticizing impunity within the party, Wike added, “If the party had listened to what we said, we won’t have been where we are today… Let us not allow greed, let us not allow ego to kill our party.”

He also questioned the controversy over the National Secretary role, citing precedents.

“Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State was the chairman of the party in the state and he did not resign before contesting for Governorship but only went back to resign after winning the election”

“The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, also contested for the Kebbi state governorship and retained his seat even after losing the election.”

Former Governor Ortom lent strong support to Wike, saying, “He who pays the piper dictates the tune.”

He challenged critics to name anyone who had done more for the PDP than Wike and added, “The president understands that the country cannot be a one-party state which was why he appointed Wike into a very sensitive position as the FCT minister.”

He concluded bluntly: “For whatever reason, PDP made a lot of mistakes and we are where we are today.”

Nyesom Wike

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prevent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, from going ahead with plans to close 34 foreign embassies in Abuja over unpaid ground rents.

In a statement released via its official X (formerly Twitter) account, SERAP warned that the proposed action would violate international diplomatic protocols, especially Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

This article provides for the inviolability of diplomatic premises and explicitly forbids their seizure or closure by host countries.

“President Tinubu should urgently caution and direct the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately withdraw the threat to close down 34 embassies in Abuja.”

“The purported threat is contrary to the provisions of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention,” SERAP stated.

According to the FCT Administration, foreign missions collectively owe more than ₦3.6 billion in ground rents, some of which date back to 2014.

Minister Wike had previously threatened to revoke 4,794 land titles and take enforcement action against embassies and other defaulting property owners.

To address the situation, President Tinubu intervened on May 26 by issuing a 14-day grace period for embassies and institutions to settle their debts.

That period expired on Monday, June 9, raising fears that enforcement could begin immediately.

The Vienna Convention, which Nigeria is a signatory to, states that “the premises of the mission shall be inviolable,” as specified in Paragraph 1 of Article 22.

Furthermore, Paragraph 3 stipulates that embassy properties, vehicles, and other assets are immune from seizure or enforcement procedures by host nations.

While some institutions, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), have reportedly cleared their debts, several embassies have challenged the FCT’s claims.

The Russian Embassy, for instance, denied owing rent and asserted it had full documentation of its payments.

Similarly, representatives from the Turkish and German embassies stated they were unaware of any official notification and suggested their inclusion on the defaulters list could be a bureaucratic mistake.

Other embassies named by the FCT Administration include those of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Thailand, the Philippines, Congo, Venezuela, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia, Iraq, the Netherlands, Ireland, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, and Guinea.

Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land at the FCT Administration, noted that penalty fees ranging from ₦2 million to ₦3 million, depending on the location, have also been applied to the debts.

Aliyu Audu, who served as the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Affairs, has stepped down from his role, raising concerns about the direction of the current administration.

In a resignation letter dated June 8, 2025, and submitted via the Chief of Staff, Audu stated that his departure takes immediate effect.

He thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve, calling his time in office an honour and a privilege.

However, beyond the formalities, Audu voiced deep unease about recent political decisions, particularly the growing alliance between President Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

According to him, the pact poses a threat to the health of Nigeria’s democracy.

While his letter remained courteous, sources close to the former aide say his exit reflects broader frustrations within certain circles of the administration over what they see as compromises that could erode democratic ideals.

Late Sani Abacha

Maryam Abacha, the widow of Nigeria’s former military ruler, General Sani Abacha, has again rejected longstanding accusations that her late husband looted the country’s treasury during his time in power from 1993 to 1998.

Speaking in an interview broadcast on TVC on Sunday, marking 27 years since the former Head of State died in office on June 8, 1998, Mrs. Abacha insisted that allegations of financial misconduct against her husband were false and politically motivated.

She argued that much of what has been said over the years was misrepresentation.

“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad? And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished,” she said.

Despite her denial, successive Nigerian administrations have recovered large sums of money, commonly referred to as the “Abacha loot”, from various foreign accounts linked to the late general.

These funds, repatriated from countries including Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, have been used for public welfare and development projects.

Still, Mrs. Abacha questioned the basis of such claims and called for tangible proof.

“People are not talking about that. Why are you blaming somebody for something? Is that tribalism or a religious problem? Or what is the problem with Nigerians? I pray for Nigerians. I pray for all of us.”

Appealing for national unity and fairness, she also criticized how people and the media handle such sensitive issues.

“I pray that we should have goodness in our hearts. We should stop telling lies and blaming people. Why are we so bad towards each other? Because somebody is a Northerner or a Southerner, somebody is a Muslim or a Christian, or somebody is nice,” she said.

“It’s not fair. I think the press should try. You, the press, should try to educate the people. You are here to educate the people, to inform the people, and to entertain. You are here to help the country. You are not here to bastardise people,” she added.

Dr. Tanko Yakasai, Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), has downplayed the efforts of a political coalition spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja over the weekend, Yakasai asserted that the coalition was bound to fail, likening its prospects to a “pack of cards.”

Simultaneously, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been mobilizing support among Nigerians in the Diaspora, ahead of formally launching a broader opposition alliance to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Yakasai dismissed growing concerns over Nigeria potentially turning into a one-party state, citing the ongoing wave of defections to the APC.

According to him, party-switching is a normal part of the political process, as the APC itself has lost members to rival parties in the past.

He emphasized that Nigerians would not place their trust in a coalition led by Atiku, asserting that those in the alliance had mismanaged the country in previous administrations.

“You can remember that it was in this country that $16 billion meant for power infrastructure went missing; it was in this country that we had the Halliburton scandal for which an American senator was jailed, but collaborators in Nigeria have not faced the law,” he stated.

“So, APC has come to correct these things done by PDP. Most of them, who held sway since 1999, and I know them well, performed badly.”

“Now that Tinubu has come to rectify their misgovernance, instead of supporting him, they are forming a coalition to take power again after they had been driven out by Nigerians,” Yakasai added.

Highlighting what he described as significant achievements of President Tinubu since taking office in 2023, Yakasai pointed to the removal of fuel subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange market, which he said disrupted corrupt round-tripping practices by well-connected individuals accessing Central Bank of Nigeria resources.

On the opposition side, the ADC revealed it would hold a conference aimed at rallying support from the Diaspora for the 2027 elections.

The national chairman of ADC, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, while speaking in Abuja, said the event is part of a broader initiative to form a viable coalition for national transformation.

Nwosu noted the conference, titled “Imperative of Diaspora Leadership in Building the Coalition for Change and National Transformation in Nigeria and Africa,” will bring together politicians and technocrats to demonstrate that the coalition enjoys broad-based support.

“Nigerians, including most Diasporas, are determined to make their contribution to ensure our country’s rejuvenation and the continent’s renaissance,” he stated.

Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South in the National Assembly, has expressed strong reservations over the recent endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term by 22 governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Ndume, a senior APC figure and six-term lawmaker, distanced himself from the move and cited historical precedence as a warning sign.

“I pity Mr President,” Ndume said. “Jonathan had 22 governors then endorsing him like was done now. And what happened? Jonathan lost woefully.”

“A lot of money was spent. Even the election was shifted but we are not learning our lessons.”

The senator was referring to the 2015 general election in which former President Goodluck Jonathan, despite the backing of 22 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

“I hope that he would look back historically and see that the gathering of people to endorse you does not mean anything,” Ndume added.

On May 22, 2025, all 22 APC governors unanimously adopted Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

But Ndume strongly opposed the move, citing the worsening state of the nation.

“Things are very bad in the country,” he said. “Nigerians cannot see any hope, they are doubting the Renewed Hope.”

He explained that he was present at the Presidential Villa’s Banquet Hall on the day of the endorsement but walked out in protest once he realised the nature of the gathering.

“I was there but that was not why I was there; I was there for a summit and when I realised that it was not a summit and voice vote was put about the endorsement of Mr President, I just left, and that does not mean I am not an APC member. The majority had its way but few of us felt that was not right,” Ndume explained.

Reflecting on the limitations of political endorsements, he said.

“It happened before, not once, not twice. It happened during Jonathan. That does not mean anything. Politicians are decamping but the people who are the voters are not decamping.”

Ndume’s comments come amid growing public concern over rising inflation, widespread insecurity, and economic hardship across Nigeria.

The senator has served in the National Assembly since 2003.

He represented Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency in Borno State for two terms in the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate in 2011, where he has retained his seat representing Borno South to date.