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How PDP Gave Wike The Nod To Serve APC’s Govt – Dan Orbih
National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Dan Orbih has explained how the party gave Chief Nyesom Wike the mandate to serve in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu government.
Speaking in an interview over the crisis in the party arising from a move by a section of the party to annul his reelection as the zonal chairman of the PDP, he affirmed that his relationship with Wike and other friends in other political parties could not be defined by his politics.
“Let me make it abundantly clear here that my membership of PDP cannot determine those who are my friends and those who should be my enemies.
“If at my age, I now belong to a political party and the party tells me, this man cannot be your friend…I have friends across board. I have friends in Labour Party, I have friends in APC, I have friends in many other parties, but that doesn’t affect my membership and commitment to the PDP.
“I want to say it very clearly, PDP cannot determine my friendship with Barrister Nyesom Wike, a very dependable, hard-working friend of mine.”
Explaining how Wike came to serve in the APC federal government, Orbih said:
“I also want to say here, the issue of Wike working with the APC federal government is not an issue.
“Before he took up that appointment, he wrote to the acting national party chairman and I can tell you quite honestly, there is no record showing that the current acting national chairman and the members of the national working committee wrote him in reply to his letter that he should not participate in this government.
“He wrote to the south-south Zonal party executive. We had a meeting in Port Harcourt and unanimously, we said it was a call to service, to national service.
“And we gave him our nod. He wrote to the state chapter of his party and the response was positive, that he should take the appointment as a national call for service.
“He wrote to his ward and local government chapters of the party. There is no organ of the party that came out to say no, don’t accept this appointment.
Continuing on the efforts Wike made to win the PDP support in his approach to the APC government, Orbih continued:
“He wrote to the Governors Forum and I can tell you, the first meeting held by the Governors’ Forum, at the closure of the meeting, they led a delegation of that body, all those who came to the meeting, to go and congratulate him in his office in Abuja.
“Thereafter, Bala Mohammed granted an interview where he praised him (Wike) and said he was very confident that he was going to do well.
“You see, we must be very careful about how we treat members.
“I’ve told you now that his participation in this government is not an issue, except for those who are mischievous.
“Because when he was given an invitation to serve in this government, he wrote to every critical organ of the party, informing them that Mr. President has invited him to be part of his government.
“Let me see the evidence by any of these bodies that met after he was given this appointment to say, please don’t be part of this government.
“I’m also aware, not too long ago, the members of the Board of Trustees met him in his official residence.
“Throughout that meeting, none of them raised this issue.”
Concluding, Orbih said:“So, Wike, the Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, is not working for APC; he is working for the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed confidence that the visible achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration will secure victory for the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) in the FCT during the 2027 general elections.
Wike, who stated this after inspecting the ongoing Apo-Karshi and Bwari-Kubwa road projects, stressed that good governance remains the most reliable metric for political success.
He said that the administration’s performance in infrastructure delivery, particularly in long-neglected satellite towns, leaves the opposition with nothing to offer voters beyond empty stories.
He argued that the tangible results on the ground make an unassailable case for President Tinubu’s re-election, including Sen. Philip Aduda (FCT) and House of Representatives candidate John Gabaya (Bwari Federal Constituency).
He said; “If good governance is a barometer to measure whether a government has succeeded or not, then we have nothing to fear.
“Now, the Tinubu administration has come and it’s not only listening to you, it’s not only caring for you, it’s solving your problems. Why will they want to change their mind?”
Dismissing opposition rhetoric, the minister said; “This is the campaign. The people who will come, what will they come with?
“They will tell them stories. But we have not come with stories, we have come with facts, verifiable facts. I can beat my chest, I can close my eyes and go home and sleep with my two eyes closed, that Tinubu will emerge. I have no fear at all.”
The minister pointed out that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has shifted development priorities beyond the city centre to directly touch satellite communities.
“The Renewed Hope administration has redefined infrastructure delivery as far as FCT is concerned, not just within the city, but also within the satellite towns.
“We thank God Almighty that has given us a President who has come to listen and to change the narrative that development must not only be concentrated within the city centers, but also spread in the satellite towns,” he said.
Speaking on the projects, Wike said the long-delayed Apo-Karshi road project was on course for completion in November.
He also said that the dualisation of the Bwari-Kubwa road, where residents turned out in large numbers to welcome his delegation, would also be delivered in December.
“Work on site is set to intensify by the first week of October as seasonal heavy rains abate,” he said.
. Dismantling the syndicate is another proof transnational drug networks won’t have any space to operate in Nigeria, says Marwa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has once again struck a decisive blow against transnational organised crime with the dismantling of a Nigerian-Mexican drug cartel operating a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Eziama community in Obeagu, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Two kingpins: 45-year-old Chukwu Obumneme Christopher, alias Brown, and 60-year-old Chukwu Georginus Monday, alias George, were arrested in connection with the operation of the meth lab in partnership with a notorious Mexican drug cartel member, Rodriguez Villanueva, based in Mexico City, Mexico, after several months of intelligence and surveillance on the syndicate.
As a result, they were arraigned before Hon. Justice Mabel Taiye Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court, Enugu Judicial Division, on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, the organisation, management and financing of a Drug Trafficking Organization, and unlawful possession of precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production, contrary to the NDLEA Act. After their plea, Justice Segun-Bello has now scheduled their trial for 21st October 2026, following an application by the Agency for an accelerated hearing.
Also named in the charge, and currently at large, are Uchenna, alias Uche; Celestine Ikemefuna Iwuchukwu; and Rodriguez Villanueva, who is a notorious member of a Mexican drug cartel.
Investigations by a Special Operations Unit (SOU) of NDLEA revealed a sophisticated, transnational operation by the Nigerian-Mexican cartel. Surveillance activities by NDLEA between 1st and 4th December, 2025, tracked Brown’s movements between Lagos, Enugu and Anambra States, ultimately leading operatives to a compound in Obeagu where a clandestine laboratory capable of producing methamphetamine in commercial quantities was uncovered. The lab, fitted with improvised reactors and distillation apparatus, mirrored similar facilities recently dismantled in Ogun, Oyo and Ebonyi.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of vast quantities of precursor chemicals, including 690 litres of methylamine, 1,000 litres of isopropyl alcohol, 300 litres of hydrochloric acid, 290 litres each of toluene and acetone, 400 litres of liquid sodium hydroxide, 125 kilograms of N-phenylacetamide, 414 kilograms of lead acetate, and 769.6 kilograms of tartaric acid, among other controlled substances, a haul consistent with a high-potency, P2P-based methamphetamine manufacturing operation.
A related search of George’s family residence yielded eight large fuel tanks, four commercial gas burners, four dehydrators, and 11 kilograms of ephedrine, further underscoring the scale of the cartel’s operations.
Reacting to the development, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), reaffirmed the Agency’s unwavering resolve to track down every fleeing suspect connected to the cartel, and ensure that they all face the full weight of the law.
He
commended all NDLEA officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and doggedness in cracking yet another international drug syndicate. He described the Enugu lab bust as further proof that Nigeria will not be allowed to become a haven for transnational drug cartels, warning that the Agency’s intelligence-driven operations and international partnerships would continue to close every loophole exploited by drug barons, whether local or foreign. He reiterated his charge to all NDLEA personnel to sustain the momentum of relentless enforcement until the nation is rid of the scourge of illicit drug production and trafficking.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has criticised the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for approving the importation of 830,000 tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in the fourth quarter of 2026.
MURIC described the approval as unnecessary, wasteful and counterproductive, arguing that greater priority should be given to Nigeria’s domestic refineries.
The organisation made its position known in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, and made available to journalists on Thursday.
NMDPRA recently approved the importation of 830,000 tonnes of PMS for the fourth quarter of 2026. However, MURIC said the decision was difficult to justify amid increased domestic refining capacity, particularly with the operations of the Dangote Refinery.
Akintola urged the petroleum industry regulator and other relevant government agencies to work closely with local refineries and reduce the country’s reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
According to him, continued importation could undermine investments in Nigeria’s refining sector and frustrate efforts to achieve greater domestic fuel production.
“We expect NMDPRA and all other government agencies in the petroleum industry to cooperate with our local refineries. The importation of refined fuel should stop forthwith,” he said.
The group argued that Nigeria should prioritise locally refined petroleum products as part of efforts to strengthen the domestic economy and maximise investments in the country’s refining infrastructure.
“The Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has approved 830,000 tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, imports for the fourth quarter of 2026 despite ample evidence of petrol self-sufficiency in the country with the presence of local production efficacy courtesy of Dangote Refinery.
“MURIC considers this move as unnecessary, wasteful, counterproductive, regressive and unpatriotic. We therefore condemn it in the strongest terms,” the statement added.
2027: Tinubu’s good governance ‘ll secure FCT victory – Wike
NDLEA busts Nigerian-Mexican meth cartel, docks kingpins over Enugu clandestine lab(Photos)
MURIC Faults NMDPRA Over 830,000-Tonne Petrol Import Approval
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