Politics
Ex-NBA President, Akpata, Distances Self From Abure’s Arrest
Former National Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and frontline governorship aspirant of Labour Party (LP), for the September 21st gubernatorial election in Edo, Olumide Akpata, on Thursday, denied involvement in the arrest of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure and five others in Benin City on Wednesday.
In a statement issued in Benin City, and endorsed by the LP gubernatorial hopeful, Akpata slammed another aspirant of the party for making reckless unfounded comments linking him with Abure’s arrest, describing Imansuangbon’s allegations as false and irresponsible.
“I have been made aware of reckless and unfounded comments made by Mr Kenneth Imasuagbon in the press yesterday, February 21, 2024, where he accused me of being behind the recent arrest and detention of Comrade Julius Abure, National Chairman of the Labour Party, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, Edo State Chairman of the Labour Party, and other party officials by the Nigeria Police Force.
“Let me categorically state that these allegations made by Mr Imasuagbon, who claims to be a lawyer and should therefore know better, are completely false and, frankly, very irresponsible. I had absolutely no involvement whatsoever in the arrests he referred to.
“As we have been told by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force Zone 5 Zonal Headquarters, the arrests stemmed from an entirely separate incident that occurred in Benin City on December 29, 2023, where one Comrade Anselm Eragbe, a former National Youth Leader of the Labour Party, was allegedly assaulted.
“Comrade Eragbe thereafter submitted a petition on the attack, accusing the arrested officials of orchestrating the incident. It was this petition that prompted a police investigation and subsequent arrests.
“I must make it clear that I have no connection at all to this unfortunate matter, beyond also being falsely accused on national television on December 29, 2023, of being responsible for the incident involving Comrade Eragbe.
“As someone falsely implicated in this matter, I have a strong interest in the outcome of the police investigation in order to clear my name fully”, Akpata said.
The LP governorship aspirant expressed concern over the arrest of the party’s National Chairman and other party officials barely 48 hours to the party’s governorship primary election in Edo State, just as he expressed worry over the delay of the release of the party’s delegates’ list of the ward congresses conducted last Tuesday.
“Given the timing of the arrests just 48 hours before the Labour Party primaries scheduled for February 23, 2024, the last possible day for political parties intending to field candidates in the September 21, 2024, Edo State Gubernatorial elections to conduct primaries, it raises some very serious concerns. It is imperative that the party be able to conduct free, fair, and smooth primaries as planned on Friday, February 23, 2024.
“I strongly urge the party leadership to explore all lawful options as provided by the party’s constitution to ensure the activities and operations of the Labour Party continue without obstruction. The party must urgently release the final delegate list from the ward congresses of Tuesday, February 20, 2024, which were monitored by INEC.
“It is worrying that we still do not have full delegate information more than 24 hours after the congress. I want to use this opportunity to caution Mr Kenneth Imasuagbon to cease his campaign of falsehoods and calumny against me, which he renewed with vigour on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 and has continued with his latest unwarranted attacks, where he attempted to link me to the party leadership’s arrest. Mr Imasuagbon is clearly intimidated by my aspiration and has resorted to spreading lies in a desperate bid to derail my campaign. I can no longer allow his disgraceful smear tactics to go unanswered.
“He should be ashamed for tarnishing my good name without justification. If Mr. Imasuagbon does not immediately stop his dishonourable attacks against me, I will not hesitate to pursue legal action to protect my reputation against his baseless claims.
“The time has come for him to face consequences for his deceitful conduct.
“In closing, I sincerely hope the detained officials secure and are allowed access to proper legal counsel, as is their constitutional right, and that this unfortunate matter is resolved quickly.
“However, I implore that the internal issues of the party must not hamper our preparations for the crucial primaries, as we have no wiggle room for error. I remain committed to the principles and values of the Labour Party and call for unity behind our shared vision,” Akpata stated.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has criticised the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning against what he described as threats to deploy “federal might” to influence the upcoming governorship election in the state.
This was contained in a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed.
Speaking at a meeting with leaders and ward officials of the Accord Party across the 332 wards in the state, Adeleke said federal power should be used for good governance rather than electoral manipulation.
The governor accused the APC of dragging the name of President Bola Tinubu into partisan rhetoric by repeatedly claiming that federal institutions would be deployed during the poll.
According to Adeleke, the President has instead been using federal authority to deliver governance programmes, citing infrastructure projects and policy initiatives.
“The President is using federal power to deliver good governance… not for election rigging,” the governor said, urging the opposition to stop what he described as attempts to undermine democratic principles ahead of the election.
He also called on residents of the state to remain vigilant and ensure their votes determine the outcome of the poll.
“Our people are passionate about free and fair elections. Only electoral bandits boast of rigging in a democracy,” he said.
Support For Gov’s Re-Election
At the gathering, several political leaders voiced support for the governor’s re-election bid.
Among them were the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, and Senator Olu Alabi.
They urged party leaders to intensify grassroots mobilisation and defend votes during the election.
The chairman of the Imole Movement, Wale Oladipo, alongside Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Sunday Bisi, also reaffirmed their support for Adeleke, calling on party structures across the state to work toward his re-election.
Political Realignment
The build-up to the governorship contest has been shaped by significant political realignments in the state.
In December 2025, Adeleke announced his defection from the PDP to the Accord Party after weeks of consultations with stakeholders, citing the leadership crisis within the PDP as the reason for leaving the party.
The governor later emerged as the Accord Party’s sole candidate for the 2026 governorship election in Osun State, positioning himself to seek a second term under the new platform.
His defection triggered political reactions from opposition figures, particularly within the APC, as the party declared its intention to reclaim the state in the forthcoming election.
The contest is expected to be closely watched in the South-West political landscape as parties intensify preparations for the poll scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be held on August 15.
Confusion erupted on Saturday (today) during the Taraba State congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after members of the congress committee reportedly announced two different individuals as the party’s consensus chairman.
The development sparked outrage among delegates and party faithful, triggering heated arguments and protests at the congress venue.
The drama reportedly began when a member of the congress committee announced Victor Samuel Falack as the consensus chairman of the party in the state.
Party members present at the venue were said to have applauded the announcement and affirmed Falack’s nomination, believing the process had been concluded.
Observers at the congress said the declaration was initially received with excitement, as many delegates appeared satisfied that the party had reached a consensus.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn moments later when another member of the committee, reportedly arriving from Abuja, interrupted the proceedings and announced a different individual as the party’s chairman.
The sudden reversal created confusion among delegates, many of whom began questioning the development and demanding clarification from the congress committee.
The conflicting declarations immediately sparked heated exchanges among party members and supporters at the venue.
The disagreement soon degenerated into chaos as some aggrieved delegates and party faithful stormed out of the congress venue in protest.
Witnesses said the protesters chanted slogans and insisted that the earlier declaration of Falack as the consensus candidate be respected.
Some party members also described the newly announced chairman as “unknown” within the party’s structure in the state.
They accused members of the congress committee of attempting to impose a candidate on the party against the wishes of delegates.
Efforts by some party officials to calm the tense situation reportedly failed as tensions among supporters continued to rise.
As of the time of filing this report, the final outcome of the Congress remained uncertain.
Concerned party members have since called on the national leadership of the PDP to urgently intervene and clarify the conflicting announcements in order to prevent further crisis within the party in Taraba State.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has announced the official schedule of activities for the conduct of its 2026 nationwide congresses and national convention.
In a statement released by the party, the ADC said the exercise forms part of its constitutional responsibility to renew leadership structures across all levels of the organisation.
According to the party, the process will begin at the grassroots level and progress through the various tiers of the party structure, starting from polling units and wards, through local government and state levels, before culminating in the National Convention.
The party explained that the congresses are aimed at strengthening its internal democratic processes and repositioning the party ahead of future political activities.
The timetable approved by the party leadership is as follows:
Polling Unit and Ward Congresses: Tuesday, 7 April 2026
Local Government Area Congresses: Thursday, 9 April 2026
State Congresses: Saturday, 11 April 2026
National Convention: Tuesday, 14 April 2026
The ADC urged members across the country to participate actively in the process to ensure a smooth and transparent exercise.
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