News
Ex-Cross River Gov Donald Duke Defects from PDP to ADC
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Ex-Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has once again resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and officially joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Duke registered as a member of the ADC in Ward 5 of Calabar Municipality, where he collected his membership card, formalising his entry into the opposition party.
His defection comes amid internal tensions within the ADC in Cross River State.
A former governorship candidate of the party, Dr Effiong Nyong, had earlier written to the ADC National Chairman to protest the inclusion of certain individuals from the state in the party’s 50 Wise Men and Women Policy Manifesto Committee.
Nyong criticised a statement by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, which named individuals he claimed neither resigned from the PDP nor made tangible contributions to the ADC, calling for their removal from the committee.
Political observers believe Duke’s swift formal registration may be connected to the controversy, as the former governor had previously been mentioned among prominent figures associated with the party.
Recall that Duke had earlier left the PDP for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate under controversial circumstances.
Meanwhile, ADC leaders in Bakassi Local Government Area have stepped up efforts to mobilise support across Cross River State, urging residents to align with the party ahead of future elections.
At the end of a stakeholders’ meeting involving chapter executives, ward chairmen, and secretaries, party leaders accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of poor governance and called on Nigerians to reclaim the country.
In a statement jointly signed by the Bakassi Chapter Chairman, Emmanuel Asuquo, and the Secretary, Eko Boco, the party reaffirmed its loyalty to the ADC national leadership and pledged support for the National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and the National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The statement also urged undecided citizens to join the party’s “transformative agenda.”
Popular sports broadcast journalist with Classic FM 97.3, Temisan Okomi, has died.
A journalist with News Central, Olawale Adigun, confirmed his death in a statement shared on X on Friday.
He wrote on X, “The worst way to go into the weekend is hearing about Temisan Okomi’s passing. I’m so gutted and, at the same time, terrified. This man meant so much to me.”
Recall that news of his death has since stirred reactions on X, with colleagues and fans expressing shock and grief.
The late journalist had worked with Lagos Television, HiTV, and other prominent media organizations in Nigeria.
His last post on X was on April 14, 2026, when he wrote, “The Champions League is hard, man.”
Ibrahim Abdulkarim, a political associate of ex-governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has claimed that the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has agreed to deputize the Obi in the 2027 presidential race.
He spoke during an interview on Trust TV, said the Obidients and the Kwankwassiyya Movements are already aligning towards Obi/Kwankwaso ticket.
Asked if Obi and Kwankwaso had struck a deal, Abdulkarim said “yes, I can categorically tell you that they have agreed”.
We all know that. Both the Obidients and the Kwankwassiyya Movements are aware of the agreement”.
Recall that Kwankwaso recently decamped from the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
His move stirred suspicion that the two political gladiators may have agreed to run for the 2027 presidency on a single ticket.
A coalition of socio-political groups in Adamawa State has vowed to resist the imposition of a governorship candidate ahead of party primaries, even as it resolved to work with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri in producing the next governor of the state.
The coalition, comprising the Gongola Peoples’ Forum (GPF), Adamawa United Forum (AUF) and other allied groups, insisted that indigenous ethnic nationalities in the state would no longer “play second fiddle” in determining political leadership.
Speaking through the Mobilisation Secretary of GPF, Mr. Ibrahim Bebeto, the National Chairman of the forum, Markus Gundiri, said democracy thrives when the majority have their way, while the minority are allowed their say.
He maintained that the state was undergoing a political reawakening, warning that attempts to impose candidates based on what he described as “old oligarchic legacies” would no longer be tolerated.
Gundiri said the coalition speaks for over 85 ethnic nationalities in the state, stressing that lessons from the 2023 governorship election, which he alleged involved attempts to impose a candidate, had strengthened their resolve.
“It has become necessary to sound the warning that in Adamawa State, there is no room for imposition in the name of the will of God. The will of the people is actually the will of God, not the reverse,” he said.
He argued that consensus arrangements within political parties should not be mistaken for the collective will of the people, noting that any aspirant relying on such mechanisms to clinch power was “living in the past.”
“If consensus in a political party were to be taken as the will of the people, the coup against Governor Fintiri and democracy in 2023 would have succeeded. But because the people rejected it, it failed,” Gundiri added.
The coalition urged Governor Fintiri to remain steadfast in defending the mandate of the people and to relay their position to President Bola Tinubu.
“We are pleading with our governor to take this message to the president that the indigenous people of Adamawa State are solidly behind him, but will not accept the imposition of a candidate who is not from the indigenous ethnic nationalities,” he said.
Gundiri further stated that democracy should not be driven by wealth, influence or elite arrangements, but by the popular will of the electorate.
He added that members of the coalition were fully mobilised and ready to support both Governor Fintiri and President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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