ENUGU LAWMAKER DUMPS LABOUR PARTY FOR PDP, CITES DEEP INTERNAL CRISIS
Hon. Eze Gabriel, the member representing Isi-Uzo Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, has officially defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Eze, who won his legislative seat under LP during the 2023 general election, made the announcement during Tuesday’s plenary session. In a letter read by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, the lawmaker expressed deep regret over his decision, saying the national and state chapters of the LP had become mired in “irreconcilable divisions, incessant crisis, and factionality.”
According to Eze, the LP, once seen as a reformist alternative in Nigeria’s political landscape, has deteriorated into a “state of perpetual discord,” losing its capacity to meet the aspirations of the electorate. He referenced the prolonged leadership tussles, including those between Julius Abure and Senator Nenadi Usman nationally, as well as a rift between Chief Ugwu Kingsley Chidera and Barr. Casmir Agbo in Enugu, as proof of the party’s irredeemable fragmentation. With the PDP, he said, he hopes to find a more stable platform to continue contributing to Enugu’s development.
RIVERS SOLE ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTS 23 LOCAL GOVERNMENT HEADS, NEW ELECTORAL COMMISSION LEADERSHIP
Rivers State’s Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), has named administrators for all 23 local government areas, in what marks a major shake-up in the governance of the oil-rich state. The appointments, effective April 7, were announced via a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Worika.
Among those appointed are Dr. Sam Kalagbor for Port Harcourt LGA and Mr. Goodluck Ihenacho for Ahoada East. The appointments come in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling nullifying the October 5, 2024, local government elections.
In a related development, Ibas also reconstituted the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission. Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey will now serve as chairman, alongside six new commissioners, including Prof. Godfrey Woke Mbgudiogha and Dr. Olive Bruce. The appointments mark a critical restructuring move as Rivers State continues its transition under a sole administrative system triggered by political instability.
SUSPENDED SENATOR NATASHA FILES N5 BILLION DEFAMATION AGAINST LAWMAKER
Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has dragged fellow lawmaker Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi to court in a N5 billion defamation suit over damaging remarks made during a March 6 appearance on Channels TV. Represented by a legal team led by SAN M.J. Numa, Akpoti-Uduaghan claims Nwaebonyi falsely accused her of having six children by different men and of entering into her marriage under duress.
Filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the suit alleges that Nwaebonyi’s comments were “malicious, false, and designed to destroy” her reputation, especially given his role in the Senate Committee on Ethics. The defamatory comments, she says, were widely broadcast and intended to justify her controversial suspension from the Senate.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is seeking a perpetual injunction against further publication of the claims, a public apology in two national dailies, and N5 billion in damages for emotional trauma and reputational harm. She has positioned the case as a fight not just for her integrity, but for the role of women in Nigerian politics. No date has yet been set for the hearing.
GOVERNOR MUFTWANG REVEALS BANDITS HAVE SEIZED 64 PLATEAU COMMUNITIES
Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang has delivered a chilling update on the state’s security situation, revealing that at least 64 communities across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs have been overtaken by bandits. Speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today, the governor described the long-running violence as a deliberate campaign of “genocide sponsored by terrorists.”
Muftwang questioned the intelligence community’s failure to expose the sponsors of the attacks and noted that many of the affected communities had survived previous assaults in 2023 and rebuilt — only to face renewed violence in recent months. He emphasized that this is no longer a case of farmer-herder conflict but rather a sustained campaign to cleanse and reoccupy land.
As displaced residents remain unable to return, the governor called for a united front from security agencies to recover lost territories and end the cycle of violence. He pledged continued resilience and warned the perpetrators: “Their end has come.”
PETER OBI, ALEX OTTI LEAD LABOUR PARTY FACTION TO INEC
Labour Party’s internal power struggle took a high-profile turn Wednesday when party heavyweights including Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti led a delegation to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking recognition of Senator Nenadi Usman as the party’s interim national chairman.
Their move comes days after a Supreme Court judgment invalidated the Court of Appeal’s recognition of Julius Abure as the party’s national chair. During the meeting, Governor Otti presented INEC with a Certified True Copy of the ruling and emphasized the need for institutional alignment.
INEC, in a statement, reiterated its commitment to neutrality and the rule of law. The ongoing dispute continues to widen rifts within the LP, threatening its electoral viability as it attempts to position itself for future national contests.
NIGER DECLARES HAUSA AS NATIONAL LANGUAGE IN MAJOR BREAK FROM COLONIAL FRENCH LEGACY
In a sweeping cultural shift, Niger’s military government has declared Hausa the new national language, replacing French as the central symbol of state identity. The decision, made official through a government charter published on March 31, also retains English and French as working languages, while listing nine other regional tongues such as Zarma-Songhay and Fula as “spoken languages.”
The move follows a broader campaign to dismantle French colonial influence since the 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. French troops have been expelled, diplomatic ties cut, and colonial-era names removed from streets and buildings. The junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, also recently secured a mandate to remain in power for five more years after a national dialogue in February.
With Hausa already spoken by the vast majority of Nigeriens — over 80 percent — the change is as much practical as it is symbolic, signaling a realignment of national identity and governance in the Sahel region. Similar anti-French cultural purges are ongoing in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
UK-BASED BUSINESSMAN THREATENS N500 BILLION LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL DEMOLITION IN NASARAWA
Robert Baba Idoko, a UK-based Nigerian entrepreneur, has issued a seven-day pre-action legal notice to the Nasarawa State Government, demanding N500 billion in damages for what he describes as the “unlawful and unjust” demolition of his property in Karu LGA.
The property — a multi-million-naira complex of two-storey buildings — was allegedly destroyed on October 3, 2024, by agents of the Nasarawa Urban Development Board (NUDB) without warning or a court order. Idoko claims he legally purchased the land, submitted all required documentation to the NUDB, and received no notice of any competing claims.
The demolition, reportedly instigated by a Catholic priest who also claims ownership, has left Idoko emotionally and financially shattered. His lawyer, Barrister Ndubisi Kalu, asserts that the businessman followed every legal protocol and had invested his life savings into the project.
The N500 billion demand includes special and general damages for emotional trauma, property loss, and loss of livelihood. Failure to comply within the notice period, the letter warns, will lead to a court action that could further entangle the state government in a prolonged legal battle. Neither the NUDB nor the state has responded to the allegations at press time.
