By Our Correspondent

As 2027 election draws close, a coalition of South-East advocacy organisations has called on political parties in Nigeria to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East ahead of the 2027 Nigerian General Elections, insisting that justice, fairness and national balance demand that the region produce the next President of the country.

The groups made the declaration on Monday during a special joint press conference held in Enugu by the South East Enlightenment Group, the Igbo Leadership Development Foundation, and other stakeholders within the African Democratic Congress.

Speaking to journalists, the National President of the South East Enlightenment Group, Dr Godwin Udibe, said the coalition convened the briefing following the recent release of the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

According to him, the timetable signals the beginning of political activities ahead of the 2027 elections, making it necessary for the region to restate its long-standing demand for equity and rotation of presidential power.

Udibe argued that the South-East has remained the only geopolitical zone in southern Nigeria yet to produce a President in the current democratic dispensation.

READ THIS NYSC Denies Denial Of Registration To Any Graduate In Enugu
He noted that under the Fourth Nigerian Republic, the South-West has produced the President three times, the South-South once, while the South-East has not had the opportunity.

“This reveals a frightening prospect for the South-East. The region appears to be steadily sidelined in the scheme of power play in Nigeria, with many of our people feeling alienated,” he said.

The coalition therefore urged all political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the South-East in the interest of national unity and fairness.

The groups recalled the political arrangement in 1998 when major political parties zoned their presidential tickets to the South-West following the annulment of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election.

They argued that a similar consensus would promote justice and strengthen the country’s democratic stability.

Udibe also expressed concern that the leading political platforms may not offer viable pathways for South-East aspirants.

He noted that within the All Progressives Congress, the presidential ticket appears secured for the incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while the African Democratic Congress has reportedly opened its race to contenders such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

READ THIS Defections Won’t Save You, Mbaka Knocks Tinubu, Slams ‘Heartless’ Tax Policies
He further stated that both the People’s Democratic Party and the Labour Party are currently grappling with internal crises, which he described as making them “undesirable platforms for serious contenders.”

The groups also criticised what they described as a “poaching game” by the ruling APC, noting that the party currently has about 31 governors ruling on its platform across the federation.

However, Udibe argued that political defections do not necessarily translate into improved welfare for citizens in the South-East.

According to him, the development has further strengthened the resolve of regional stakeholders to pursue collective interests.

In a direct appeal, the coalition called on President Tinubu not to seek a second term in office in 2027 but instead support a South-East candidate to complete the remaining years of the South’s turn in the presidency.

“For equity’s sake, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to run for a second term in 2027 but to support a South-Easterner to clinch the presidency for a single term to complete eight years of southern presidency,” Udibe said.

He added that after such an arrangement, the presidency should return to the North in keeping with Nigeria’s informal power-rotation principle.

READ THIS Two Police Officers Killed as Gunmen Attack Patrol Team in Enugu
The coalition also warned that South-East governors who oppose the region’s presidency project could face electoral backlash.

Udibe said the groups would mobilise voters across the South-East to reject any political leader perceived to be working against the region’s collective ambition.

“We will mobilise the South-East to vote out any governor working against the South-East presidency project,” he stated.

The groups concluded by reaffirming their commitment to rallying support across Nigeria for a South-East presidential candidate in 2027, insisting that the demand is rooted in fairness, national inclusion, and democratic balance

By George Mgbeleke

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused powerful figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the party, as ADC National Chairman. The party described the move as part of the elaborate plot by the ruling party to ensure that President Tinubu emerges unopposed as the only serious contender on the ballot in 2027.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the move as a calculated attempt by elements within the ruling establishment to manufacture confusion within the ADC and weaken the only viable opposition platform left in the country.

The party maintained that there is no legal basis for any confusion as its leadership remains firmly under Senator David Mark following a combined meeting of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee witnessed by INEC officials in July 2025.

The party vows to employ every legitimate means to resist plots by anti-democratic forces within the ruling party to end competitive democracy in Nigeria.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has uncovered a desperate and sinister plot is allegedly being orchestrated by powerful figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into recognising a certain Nafiu Bala as the National Chairman of the ADC.
This brazen attempt to undermine and destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections is reportedly being driven by an APC governor in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja as part of the plot to impose President Tinubu on Nigerians as the sole presidential contender in 2027.

At the centre of this scheme is Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the ADC who has recently been parading himself as a leader of the party while collaborating with external political interests. Mr. Gombe, who once claimed to be Deputy National Chairman under the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, was duly expelled from the ADC after engaging in actions that were inconsistent with the party’s constitution, its principles, and the collective decisions of its leadership.

It is therefore shocking, though not surprising, that elements within the ruling establishment are now attempting to use him as a willing instrument of destabilisation and plot to forcefully take over the leadership of the ADC.

The objective is clear: to manufacture confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims, and ultimately cripple the only credible opposition platform that Nigerians are increasingly looking to as a genuine alternative, thereby leaving Nigerians no choice in the next general election, despite widespread suffering that the ruling party has brought on the people.

It may be worth reiterating that a properly constituted combined meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), witnessed by officials of INEC, transferred leadership to the coalition led by Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola in July 2025.

This exercise was duly acknowledged by INEC with a formal recognition of the David Mark leadership in September 2025. And most recently, on March 6, a Federal High Court had dismissed a case challenging Mark’s leadership of the party, affirming a well- grounded Supreme Court judgement that matters of leadership is wholly an internal affair of political parties.

We therefore wonder at the level of desperation that is driving these anti-democratic forces to continue in their sinister efforts to impose expelled individuals on the party or manipulate its internal structures through external political pressure on judges and electoral officials.
Nigeria’s democracy cannot thrive where the ruling party seeks to capture, infiltrate, or manufacture opposition parties for its own political convenience and survival. Such actions represent a dangerous assault on democratic pluralism and the constitutional right of Nigerians to freely organise and support credible political alternatives.

We therefore call on the general public, party members, and democratic institutions to disregard the activities and claims of Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe and those backing his illegitimate adventure. We know them and their game plans and we will resist them by all means necessary. We will defend our democracy.

The ADC remains united, focused, and committed to building a strong democratic alternative for Nigerians. No amount of intimidation, infiltration, or political engineering will derail this mission.

By George Mgbeleke
Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has blamed the All Progressives Congress and their state governor’s for arming and motivating thugs to unleash violence on leaders of opposition political parties to such an extent that their central purpose is to foist a one-party system in the country by violent means.

In a statementsigned by National Coordinator ComradenEmmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko”HURIWA has watched with considerable consternation and disappointment with the heads of security forces in Nigeria and especially the Nigerian police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps as they watched helplessly whilst apparently armed political thugs drafted by the All Progressives Congress purportedly working to ensure that only the APC operates seamlessly in their domains, have violently attacked leaders of especially the African Democratic Congress perceived as the strongest political opposition party to the ruling All Progressives Congress which has successfully deployed moles and saboteurs within the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party to destroy their structures and fictionalised them to weakened their readiness to confront the incumbent president in the 2027 poll.

“The failure of these publicly funded security services to effectively protect opposition politicians whilst they set up their offices un those states, shows that the governors and the president who command and controls the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is in the know and may have subtly approved this anti-democratic attacks especially against the ADC. We condemn these attacks and we are warning that these attacks may precipitate widespread violence since no single political party has the monopoly of violence. The earlier President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directs and ensures that multiparty democracy thrives in Nigeria, the better or else we forget about a violence free 2027 poll. A stitch in time saves nine”. These attacks have happened in Efo, Cross Rivers, Borno, Kaduna and the street urchins armed by the APC are spreading these attacks.”

HURIWA recalled that suspected political thugs disrupted the planned opening of an African Democratic Congress secretariat on Saturday in Bakassi Local Government Area, Cross Rivers State.

According to reports, the attackers stormed the venue, dispersing party supporters and destroying canopies, loudspeakers, chairs, and other equipment arranged for the ceremony.

A video circulating on social media showed a group of youths forcefully dismantling the setup while shouting that the ADC would not be allowed to operate in the council area.

In the footage, a man believed to be leading the group was heard ordering others to scatter everything as they (ADC) were nowhere to be found when they (APC) were busy fixing the council area.

Confirming the incident, the Cross River State Police Command described the perpetrators as hoodlums and said officers were deployed to restore order.

The command’s spokesman, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said in a statement released on Sunday that the event was about to commence when “the hoodlums from nowhere came and scattered the canopies, chairs and sound systems.”

He, however, said the situation had been brought under control to prevent snowballing into a full-blown crisis.

“Officers and tactical team are at the scene. The event couldn’t continue again. In such a chaotic situation, and considering the volatile nature of the area, for now, no arrests have been made,” he stated.

It would be recalled that similar situations played out on Tuesday when the party’s activity was disrupted in Calabar.

The disruption led the ADC to raise the alarm over what it described as an attempt to hijack the structure of the party in the state.

Besides, few weeks back Presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023, Mr.Peter Obi, erstwhile National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, and some chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were, attacked by suspected thugs in Edo State.

The hoodlums allegedly stormed the party secretariat, destroying facilities and injuring party members. Some plastic chairs and canopies were damaged during the incident, though no casualties were recorded.

The attackers reportedly moved to the residence of Odigie-Oyegun shortly after a political event in the state capital. Oyegun had led other ADC leaders, including Obi, to receive the former Labour Party (LP) candidate in the 2024 gubernatorial election in the state, Olumide Akpata, into the party at the time of the incident.

Obi’s former campaign spokesman and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.

The statement reads: “Peter Obi and the leadership of the ADC are under siege and attack in Benin, Edo State. At the formal declaration of Akpata into the ADC, armed individuals followed us from the party secretariat to the residence of John Odigie-Oyegun.

“They shot at the gate and destroyed several vehicles in what appears to be an assassination attempt on our lives. Democracy is in danger.”

Meanwhile, in photos and videos sent by Tanko, several SUV windscreens were smashed, while the gate leading to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence was riddled with bullets.

The alleged attack has heightened the political tensions in the state.
A video circulating online captures the aftermath of the incident, showing several vehicles and the estate gate riddled with bullet holes.

The incident comes barely 24 hours after the ADC candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council chairmanship election, Dr Moses Paul, and the Obidient Movement, on Monday, rejected the outcome of the February 21 poll, alleging widespread irregularities, insisting that the declared results did not reflect the true will of the people.

HOWEVER, Akpata, who was handed the party card by the ADC state chairman, Kennedy Odion, said he took the decision after Obi joined the party on December 31, 2025, to add value.

Akpata expressed gratitude for the warm reception, thanking the ADC for its belief in a new Nigeria and the Obidient Movement for its steadfastness.

In his remarks during the event, Obi expressed commitment to a new Nigeria, adding: “Our commitment to a new Nigeria is total, though they are doing everything possible to stop us.

“We must build a nation that works for all, not a few. This country is currently working for a few; it shouldn’t be so, we are all Nigerians.

“As a matter of fact, we must move this country from the status of consumption to production.”
Earlier, in his welcome remarks, Odion, who thanked Obi for his steadfastness, said the party is committed to building a new Nigeria.

Oyegun, on his part, said: “Our stocks are growing every day, not just in number but in quality. Nigeria is a nation that needs to be saved.”

Prof. Osunbor, who expressed optimism that the Oyegun-led coalition would lead ADC to victory in 2027, added: “Oyegun led the coalition in 2013 that led APC to victory in 2015, and he is leading the coalition now under ADC to lead us to victory in 2027. He is someone who has always led a coalition to victory. We are sure he is going to lead this coalition to victory.”

Also, HURIWArecalled vividly that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the violent attack on the inauguration of its Transition Committee Members (TCMs) in Maiduguri, Borno State, describing the incident as an assault on democracy and constitutional rights.

The party said the attack was a direct violation of its internal democratic process and an attempt to suppress opposition activities in the state.

The condemnation was made on Friday by the Chairman of the ADC Transition, Registration and Mobilisation Committee (TRMC) in Borno State, Alhaji Ali Bukar Wurge, during a briefing in Maiduguri.

Wurge said the attack was aimed at continuing efforts to “stifle and frustrate” party members from democratically electing their leaders at the state and local government levels.

He said: “This was born out of blood and wreckage of democracy by those who claim to uphold and practise it.

“We strongly condemn the cowardly acts of political terrorism orchestrated by desperate politicians and their criminal syndicates during our inauguration of the ADC transition committee in Maiduguri.”
Wurge added that the violence went beyond a protest, describing it as an organised attempt to undermine the orderly democratic process of electing credible leaders at the state and council levels.

According to him, “This was not a protest, but an orchestrated violence against democracy and good governance, denying the people the right to elect their leaders in Borno State.”

He further alleged that the dozens of thugs involved in Friday’s attack acted on the orders of a political despot bent on suppressing opposition voices in the state.

HURIWA calls on the president to direct the police and other security for es to provide adequate security to leaders and members of a political parties to operate and move freely in all parts of Nigeria or else the other opposition parties may take steps to enforce their self defence because Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians and not to APC and their armed thugs.