The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje on Wednesday threw his weight behind the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka.

Ganduje also described claims attributed to the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, as misleading, an act he said incited his online supporters to troll Morka.

He disclosed this in a statement personally signed by him in Abuja.

His clarification comes a few hours after the APC spokesman claimed that he and his family received 200 death threats over his inflammatory remarks from pro-Obi supporters.

Morka alleged that the threats were triggered by Obi’s accusation that his remarks during a Sunday interview on Arise Television constituted a threat to the Labour Party candidate’s life.

Morka’s earlier interview on Sunday sparked an outrage after he accused Obi of “crossing the line” in his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, asserting that Obi “deserved whatever came his way.”

His inflammatory remarks prompted Obi to tweet, asking Nigerians if he had truly crossed the line by attempting to the Tinubu’s administration accountable to the people.

Morka, on Wednesday, claimed that Obi’s supporters were after him, allegedly sending 400 threats, including 200 death threats.

Morka said, “Peter Obi’s allegations that my words in that interview threatened his life have triggered serious consequences.

“As of now, I have documented 400 threats, about 200 of which are explicit death threats. These are written threats that I will be submitting to law enforcement agencies.

“In these messages, individuals have detailed how they plan to harm me—threatening to shoot me, behead me, and carry out other gruesome acts. This is not mere rhetoric. It has even extended to direct threats against some members of my family. These are explicit and graphic threats, not vague insinuations.

“This entire situation is baseless and cannot be attributed to me. I did not threaten Peter Obi in any way. Those issuing these threats are acting on their own, but I trust that law enforcement will respond swiftly to bring them to justice.”

Ganduje, throwing his weight behind Morka on Wednesday, accused Obi of inciting an online mob against the ruling party.

Ganduje said, “By falsely claiming that Morka threatened his life, Mr Obi has libelled him in the extreme and incited his online supporters to issue death threats against Morka and his family.

“Morka’s comments during the interview were strictly in response to a question referencing ‘prophets of doom’ and ‘voodoo economics.’ Nothing in his statement constituted or suggested a threat to Obi or anyone else.

“Does Mr Obi expect the APC to fold its arms and allow the opposition to propagate falsehoods without any response?” Ganduje queried.

Ganduje maintained that the APC would continue to counter baseless allegations with facts against the Tinubu-led administration.

Key political figures, including former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and allies of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, held a private meeting with the leadership of the Social Democratic Party in Abuja on Tuesday.

The closed-door meeting, which took place at the SDP national secretariat, has sparked speculations about potential political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Among the notable attendees were Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha an ex-presidential candidate and former Chief Security Officer to the late Gen Sani Abacha and Atiku’s former spokesman, Otunba Segun Showunmi.

Although the specific agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, it is being described as part of a broader strategy to forge alliances among opposition figures with the aim of presenting a formidable challenge to President Bola Tinubu in the next election cycle.

Showunmi confirmed the meeting in a Facebook post, describing it as a “strategic gathering” convened by SDP Chairman, Shehu Gabam, to evaluate the state of opposition politics in Nigeria.

“You must set forth at dawn! A Strategic Meeting was called by HE Shehu Gabam, Chairman of SDP, with HE Nasir El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Otunba Segun Showunmi. The alternative to meet, greet, and review the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria,” Showunmi wrote.

The SDP Chairman, Gabam, also confirmed the meeting in an interview with The PUNCH, saying it was a meeting of like-minded individuals seeking to connect with others who shared their vision for Nigeria’s progress.

Gabam stated “There is no official statement from El-Rufai or any one of them about officially joining SDP. So, as I said, they are open to conversation and negotiations for a better Nigeria. It’s not about a political party; it’s about the future of Nigeria.

“We are looking for like-minded people who believe in the future of the country so that we can work together and uplift the individual standard of Nigeria.

“It’s not just them. The attention of the media only went to them. I have received a lot of dignitaries from different political parties in the office, discussing the way forward, how to stabilise the country, and how to offer productive, progressive advice to this government so that there will not be a crisis.

“Because once the government has a crisis, it affects every Nigerian. So, part of our responsibilities is to make sure we are not facing a crisis. When the time comes, we will decide what to do about other things.

“There is an ongoing conversation. When the time comes, we will arrive at a conclusion, and we will hold an official press conference. Once we agree on what we are going to do together, we will unveil it to all Nigerians. But at the preliminary stage, we are having our own social gatherings and discussing national issues.”

Gabam described the SDP as a responsible and respectable party that engaged in constructive opposition without provocation.

“So, principally, that’s what we are doing. More like-minded people are already on board. So today, there are other heavyweights involved, with whom we are discussing. To me, it’s a normal thing, a normal routine that I go through in the office all the time.

“So, it’s a welcome development, not just for those of us that met, but for everyone willing to come on board. SDP is a responsible party by history and analysis, and we will continue to provide decent leadership for Nigeria.

“Our interest is our country first, above any other consideration. We want to have a peaceful country, a well-coordinated country, economic prosperity, political stability for investors, and so on.

“We don’t have any other objective other than that. So we are playing our role as an opposition party, just the way APC played its role and ousted PDP from power,” he added.

The meeting comes just two days after El-Rufai dismissed rumors of his defection from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party.

On his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, the former governor labelled the reports as “patent lies” and indicated he had instructed his lawyers to pursue legal action against those spreading the misinformation.

“Please disregard the patent lies and rumours about my political affiliation. I have referred the lead peddlers of the fake news for further action by my lawyers,” El-Rufai posted.

A close associate of El-Rufai also refuted the claims, suggesting that such allegations were the work of mischief-makers intent on creating political uncertainty.

The involvement of prominent APC figures like El-Rufai in discussions with SDP leaders has fuelled speculation about potential cracks within the ruling party.

While El-Rufai remains a key figure in the APC, his participation in opposition-related activities is being closely watched by political analysts.

As Nigeria inches toward the 2027 elections, this meeting signals an intensifying effort among opposition groups to consolidate and strategize for a united front against the ruling APC.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has affirmed Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party’s authentic National Secretary of the party.

Disclosing this on Tuesday, PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, said the party affirmed Ude-Okoye in compliance with a Court of Appeal order.

Addressing journalists at PDP’s National Secretariat in Abuja, Ologunagba said the party was in receipt of the Court’s ruling affirming Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary.

According to Ologunagba, PDP intends to carry out the dictates of the court fully.

He said: “I’m sure you know the background to all the cases where we have two cases, two orders and then there was the court of appeal.

“And on 24th of December, 2024, after consultation with the legal adviser, the office of the legal adviser, it was confirmed that we have received the judgment of the two appeals affirming Rt. Hon S.K.E Ude-Okoye as the national secretary of the party.

“As a party, we are rule-of-law compliant, we have received the judgement of the court of appeal that has affirmed Rt. Hon S.K.E Ude-Okoye as the national secretary of PDP and we as a party are bound by that judgement because it is the highest judgement today.

“And we will take appropriate action as required of a responsible political party to ensure that the position of the law is complied with.”

The declaration effectively lays to rest the claims by Senator Samuel Anyanwu to the National Secretary seat of the PDP.

Ude-Okoye had recently declared himself as the PDP National Secretary, citing a recent Court of Appeal judgment.

The development follows the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which affirmed the nomination of the former PDP National Youth Leader as a replacement for Anyanwu.

The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, on December 20, 2024, upheld the judgment of an Enugu High Court that affirmed Udo-Okoye as Anyanwu’s replacement.