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Delta North: Court asked to declare Ned Nwoko’s seat vacant over illegal defection

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal High Court in Abuja has been asked to declare the Delta North Senatorial seat vacant, following the defection of Senator Ned Nwoko to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court was urged to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election in the Delta North Senatorial District within 60 days of delivering judgement in the matter.

The legal action was instituted by Senator Nwoko’s constituent and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Marvis Ossai.

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Aside from Senator Nwoko, the INEC, PDP, and the Senate were cited as defendants in the matter.

Upon the determination of the question by the court, he prayed among other reliefs, for “an order of this Honourable Court, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC– the 2nd Defendant – to conduct a bye-election into the Delta North Senatorial District of the Nigerian Senate within sixty (60) days from the date of the delivery of Judgement herein.

“An order of this Honourable Court declaring vacant the seat of Ned Munir Nwoko and cancelling his Certificate of Return issued to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“An order of this Honourable Court mandating the 1st Defendant, Nwoko, to refund into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, forthwith, all the salaries, emoluments and allowances received by him since January 2025 until the date of the final judgement in this matter.

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“An order disqualifying the 1st Defendant from standing election into any elective post under the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until and unless he complies with every term of the judgement in this suit.”

As well as, “An order mandating the 4th Defendant (Senate) to immediately give effect to the judgement of this Honourable Court.”

In a five-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Ibrahim Isa, the plaintiff told the court that Senator Nwoko had on January 30, resigned from the PDP which was the political party on whose platform he was elected to occupy the Delta North Senatorial seat till 2027.

According to the plaintiff who told the court that he is from Oshimili North Local Government Area in Delta North Senatorial District, Nwoko’s continued stay in office after his defection would amount to a gross violation of the constitution.

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“That since when the 1st Defendant decamped from the PDP up to the present moment of initiating the instant suit, there is never any division in the National Leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“That the ideology of the 1st Defendant’s new party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to which the 1st Defendant now fully subscribes, does not bear any similarity or represent the political philosophy of the People’s Democratic Party [which is the basis upon which the Plaintiff resolved to cast his vote for and elected the Defendant in 2023.

“That the conduct of the Defendant in defecting from the People’s Democratic Party to All Progressives Congress has dealt a major blow to the fortunes of the Plaintiff’s Party, the People’s Democratic Party

“That the conduct of the 1st Defendant being challenged herein if not condemned and upturned by this Honourable Court will continue to encourage political harlotry, legislative rascality and destroys the reasons for the laws made to regulate the defection of National Assembly Members by the Constitution of Nigeria itself.

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“That the continuous stay of the 1st Defendant at the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does no longer represent the Plaintiff’s interest or that of thousands of other members of our constituency who voted him in on the basis of our faith in our Party’s manifesto which they believed the 1st Defendant was capable of representing in the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“That the Defendant is now representing adverse interests of the people who fought the Plaintiff’s party tooth and nail [in the year 2023] to forestall the emergence of the 1st Defendant as the Member Representing DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT Federal Constituency on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).

“That time is of the greatest essence in the instant application.
“It will be in the interest of justice for this Honourable Court to grant the prayers contained on the face of this Originating Summons.”

Meanwhile, the suit is yet to be assigned to any judge for a hearing.

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JUST IN: Fire engulfs Lagos airport’s Terminal 2

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Fire has engulfed Lagos airport’s Terminal 2.

FAAN said its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service (ARFFS) had been deployed to contain the fire.

“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to inform the public that a fire incident has occurred at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos,” the statement read.

“The FAAN Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service (ARFFS) is currently responding to the incident and working diligently to contain the situation.”

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FAAN said there were no reported casualties or loss of life.

“There have been no reported casualties or loss of life,” the authority stated.

It added that further updates would be provided as more information becomes available.

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Photos: NDLEA nabs notorious drug dealer in Rivers Island, bandits’ supplier in Zamfara

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…as China, Italy-bound cocaine concealed in local mortar, backpack intercepted in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of cocaine concealed in local mortar and false bottom of a backpack packaged for shipment to China and Italy respectively through a logistics company in Lagos.

The seizures made by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigations (DOGI) on Thursday 30th July 2026 include 250grams of cocaine factory fitted into the base of a local mortar packed in a carton for export to China, and 500grams of the same class A drug hidden in the false bottom of a backpack being shipped to Italy.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Rivers state have arrested a 38-year-old notorious drug dealer, Ugo Gift Okonkwo, at Eagle Island Port Harcourt, following credible intelligence.

The suspect was nabbed with various quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup at the time of his arrest on Sunday 26th July.

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NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation at DMGS roundabout, Onitsha, Anambra state on Monday 27th July intercepted a truck marked XK 131 BDG loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 3,960kg while the truck driver Chinedu Nwanze, 40, was arrested.

While 331.84 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KUJ 26 DV along Kwale/Ughelli expressway, Delta state on Sunday 26th July, NDLEA officers in Nasarawa state on Tuesday 28th July arrested a 64-year-old man Joseph Nwaeke with 68kg skunk and 29grams of methamphetamine at Asso Angwan Muazu, Karu area of the state.

In Zamfara, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Zaria- Gusau highway on Monday 27th July intercepted a suspect, Sani Umar, 27, conveying 7,400 pills of tramadol 225mg suspected to be supplies for criminal elements.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School, Kano; Royal Crown School, Oluyole, Ibadan; Government Secondary School, Ibi, Taraba; and drivers at Challenge Bus Terminal Park, Ibadan, Oyo state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of DOGI, Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa, and Zamfara Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

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ADC Southwest Leaders Demand Removal Of Aregbesola As Interim National Secretary

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Leaders of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the South West have asked the party’s national leadership to immediately remove Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Interim National Secretary, accusing him of brazen constitutional violations that are threatening the party ahead of 2027.

The South West leaders, in a petition dated July 28, 2026, signed by state chairmen from across the zone and addressed to the National Chairman, said they resolved during an emergency meeting in Ibadan that Aregbesola’s conduct had plunged the ADC into avoidable crises.

According to DAILY POST, the copies of the letter signed by Olusoji Adebiyi, Ogun State Secretary; Abideen Okanlawon, Osun State Acting Chairman; Adesola Akitunde, Osun State Youth Leader; Yinka Olona, Oyo State Chairman; Adebimpe Adelowo, Oyo State member; Ilesanmi Olaiya, Ekiti State Chairman, among others, were copied to the National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s 2027 presidential candidate, the vice-presidential candidate, and the National Legal Adviser.

The chairmen alleged that Aregbesola created a parallel structure across South West states under the name “Omoluabi Progressive” and began parading officers of the splinter group as legitimate ADC executives from the ward to the state level, asserting that this directly contravenes the ADC constitution.

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They cited Article 22, Section 1 (2, 3, 8, 9, 10 and 11) of the party’s constitution, listing offences including breach of the constitution, acts likely to bring the party into disrepute, disobedience to lawful directives, creation of parallel organs, and collusion to convene unauthorised meetings.

The petitioners also accused the former Osun State governor of using his office to interfere in the party’s candidate selection process, alleging that on the last day for uploading National Assembly candidates, Aregbesola “colluded with some cohorts within INEC” to remove duly elected ADC candidates who emerged from INEC-monitored primaries and replace them with members of his Omoluabi Progressive group who never purchased nomination forms.

They also blamed Aregbesola for the lingering crises in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states, alleging that he usurped the functions of the National Organising Secretary by appointing parallel primary election committees and submitting them to INEC.

Part of the petition reads:
“We, the undersigned State Chairmen of the South West Zone of the ADC, on behalf of the ADC South West Zonal Stakeholders, write to officially transmit our resolutions reached during the South West Zone emergency stakeholders’ meeting held on July 28, 2026, in Ibadan and equally request urgent action regarding the ceaseless, blatant violations and brazen breaches of our party’s constitution by OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA.

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“OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA acted directly in contravention of our great party’s constitution by creating parallel party structures across the South West states, including local government areas and wards, under the name and style of Omoluabi Progressive, and parading the so-called officers of this splinter group as the legitimate structures and officers of our great party across the South West, contrary to the provisions of the party constitution.

“His actions and activities do not in any way befit the status, carriage, disposition and character expected of any person occupying the high-ranking and sensitive position of National Secretary of a great party like the ADC.

“We equally learnt from reliable sources that OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA used his position as National Secretary to collude with some of his cohorts within INEC to, on July 14, 2026, the last day for uploading National Assembly candidates, unlawfully infiltrate the party’s system and fraudulently substitute the names of successful National Assembly candidates who emerged through INEC-monitored primary elections across the South West and other zones of the country with members of his Omoluabi Progressive splinter group, who did not even purchase nomination forms in the first place.”

The South West ADC leaders demanded that the coalition leadership review Aregbesola’s appointment and relieve him of his position, urging it to present a new, “competent, loyal and patriotic” replacement.

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“OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA is not fit to hold the position of Interim National Secretary. His continued stay in office will spell doom for the party.

“We therefore request the coalition leadership to review the appointment of OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA as Interim National Secretary, relieve him of this position, and request the APC extraction of the coalition to present a new, suitable person who is competent, loyal, amiable, patriotic and possesses the native intelligence required to lead the South West zone and the ADC to victory in 2027,” the petition added.

They urged the NWC and NEC to act urgently to stem the crisis and save the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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