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2027: ‘Peter Obi’s Return To PDP Will Be A Game Changer, Our Leaders In Talk With Him’ – Party Chieftain
A two-time member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Abduljabbar Rufai, has revealed that the party is in active talks with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over a possible return ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Rufai described the move as a strategic effort aimed at strengthening the PDP’s electoral chances and unifying its support base across the country, especially in the Southeast and South-South, where Obi enjoys massive followership.
He added that Obi’s return would boost the PDP’s chances significantly, citing the 2023 elections, where Obi polled the majority of his votes from the Southeast, a region long considered a PDP stronghold.
“Leaders of the PDP recently visited Peter Obi, and we believe his return to the PDP, a party he once called home, would be highly strategic and impactful,” Rufai said.
“If we can bring him back, it would be a game-changer for the party and a boost to our electoral prospects.”
Rufai admitted the PDP is grappling with internal disagreements but assured that efforts are ongoing to resolve grievances and rebuild party cohesion before the elections.
“We are now 16 or 17 months away from the general election, and before the end of this year, Insha’Allah, we aim to reconcile with every aggrieved member of the party,” he said.
He disclosed that reconciliation talks are being intensified ahead of the November 2025 National Convention, where a new National Working Committee would emerge to steer the party toward victory.
APC lacks PDP’s national structure – Rufai
Rufai contrasted the PDP with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the latter of lacking national reach and cohesion.
“The PDP, as the most structured party in Nigeria since 1999, and arguably in West Africa, has a legacy, history, and presence in every local government, ward, and state across the country. This cannot be said for the APC or any other political party,” he stated.
Tinubu risks Northeast fallout if Shettima is dropped
The PDP chieftain also weighed in on growing speculation that President Bola Tinubu may drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in 2027.
“If he does, he risks losing the entire Northeast,” Rufai warned.
He recalled that in the 2023 elections, the APC secured only one state in the Northeast, Borno, which is Shettima’s home state.
“Removing him from the ticket would effectively cede the region. This would present a significant opportunity for the PDP to capitalize on those regions,” Rufai added.
Rufai also announced his intention to contest for the position of PDP National Youth Leader at the upcoming convention. He pledged to energise the party’s youth wing and create platforms for young people to enter governance.
“My aspiration to serve as the National Youth Leader of the PDP is rooted in conviction, not mere ambition,” he said.
“I believe I have what it takes to rekindle the spirit and reignite the energy within the party, particularly among its youth wing.”
He further promised to maintain an open-door policy, collaborate with international youth groups, and champion youth empowerment if elected.
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Japa on reverse lane as US releases names, photos of 112 Nigerians on deportation list
Japa on reverse lane as the United States Department of Homeland Security, DHS, has updated its list of Nigerians facing removal from the country, reducing the number to 112 and publishing their names and photographs online.
The latest list features Nigerians from different parts of the country and was published through the DHS official website.
Among those listed are Cletus Onyali, Olaolu Alabi, Marcus Unigwe, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Blessing Uchanma, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Richard Ugbah, Oluwamuyiwa Olawoye, Anthony Asanya and Ebele Agbasiele
Others identified on the list include Izuchukwu Okoye, Olufemi Olufisayo Olutiola, Abiemwense Obanor, Chibuzo Nwaonu, Oluchi Jennifer Chimdimma Chime, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Quazeem Adeyinka and Talatu Dada.
The complete list contains 112 names, with the photographs and details of the other individuals available through the DHS online portal.
The publication comes amid stepped-up immigration enforcement by the US government, particularly involving undocumented immigrants and individuals with outstanding removal orders.
It also comes against the backdrop of efforts by US authorities to obtain increased cooperation from foreign governments in receiving their nationals who have been ordered to leave the United States.
Nigeria has previously faced pressure from the US over the repatriation of its nationals subject to deportation.
The updated publication provides public access to the identities and photographs of the Nigerians currently identified by DHS for removal from the United States.
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Oyo kidnap: Five defendants plead not guilty to seven count charges
The Department of State Services, DSS, on Thursday re-arraigned five men accused of complicity in the May 15 kidnap of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and the subsequent killing of two of the victims.
They were arraigned on a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, filed by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.
The defendants, accused of being members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group, are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa); and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).
All five defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them by the Registrar of the court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the DSS legal team, applied for the immediate trial of the defendants in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
He also applied for the names of witnesses lined up to testify in the trial to be shielded and for them to be permitted to wear masks to ensure their protection.
Following no objection from counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the request of the DSS counsel.
At the time of filing this report, arrangements for the full-scale trial were being put in place.
News
Autopsy Confirms #EndSARS Journalist Pelumi Onifade Died From Gunshot Wound
LAGOS — A post-mortem examination conducted by the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has confirmed that 20-year-old journalist Pelumi Onifade died from a penetrating firearm injury to the abdomen.
The finding is contained in a six-page autopsy report dated July 30, 2026, and submitted to the Lagos State Coroner’s Court investigating the circumstances surrounding the young journalist’s death during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
According to the report, Onifade died from massive haemoperitoneum, a severe accumulation of blood in the abdominal cavity, caused by a high-velocity projectile that penetrated his abdomen.
The forensic finding provides medical evidence establishing a gunshot injury as the cause of death, while the circumstances surrounding who fired the shot and the events that followed remain matters before the coroner’s proceedings.
How Onifade Died
Onifade was a 200-level History student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) and worked as an intern reporter with Gboah TV, a Lagos-based online news platform.
On October 24, 2020, during the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality, he was assigned to cover an attempted looting at a government palliative storage facility in the Abattoir area of Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.
According to accounts presented by his family and colleagues, Onifade was wearing a press jacket and carrying reporting equipment when officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force opened fire while attempting to disperse the crowd.
He was reportedly struck by a bullet and subsequently taken away in a police van, commonly referred to as a Black Maria.
A colleague who was with him at the scene reportedly attempted to identify him as a journalist and explain that he was carrying camera equipment, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Onifade was not seen alive again after that incident.
Family Searched Police Stations, Hospitals
Following his disappearance, his family and colleagues searched police stations, detention facilities and hospitals across Lagos in an attempt to establish his whereabouts.
According to the family, police authorities denied having him in custody.
Six days later, on October 30, 2020, the family located his body at the mortuary of Ikorodu General Hospital, where it had been registered as a “brought-in-dead” case under body number 1385.
The discovery triggered years of demands for an independent investigation into how the young journalist died and how his remains ended up in the mortuary.
DNA Test Identified the Body
The identity of the body was subsequently confirmed through forensic DNA testing.
Results from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre established a match between the unidentified body bearing tag number 1385 and reference samples obtained from Onifade’s parents.
The DNA confirmation provided a crucial breakthrough after years of uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts and identity of the missing journalist.
Court Ordered Coroner’s Inquest
The search for accountability later moved into the courts.
In July 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Lagos State Government and the police to conduct a coroner’s inquest into Onifade’s death.
The objective of the inquest is to establish the circumstances surrounding his death and determine the facts surrounding the actions of the security personnel involved.
The ongoing proceedings before the Lagos State Coroner’s Court are being presided over by Magistrate Temitope Oladele.
Following the submission of the post-mortem report, the court has directed key witnesses, including police personnel who were on duty in the Oko-Oba area on October 24, 2020, to appear and testify.
Rights Groups Demand Accountability
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which has supported the Onifade family in its legal efforts, has described the post-mortem findings as significant evidence in the case.
Rights activists, journalist unions, and the deceased’s family continue to demand the public prosecution of the police officers who fired the shot and those who supervised the deployment during the Lagos #EndSARS demonstrations.
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