By David Owei,Bayelsa

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has reaffirmed the full determination of Osun people to defeat the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the 2026 polls, declaring unequivocally “I will beat Oyebamiji by the might of God and people”

Reacting to statements credited to Mr Gboyega Oyetola at the APC guber Primary on Saturday, the governor described the minister’s hope for victory as “wishful thinking, illusory grandstanding and a failure to accept the deep level of unpopularity of APC among the people of Osun state”

Calling Oyetola regime an anti-people era in Osun history, Governor Adeleke lamented the run down state of affairs when he took over the state in 2022, tagging Oyetola reign “a dark page in Osun socio-political history, a period neither labour nor any segment of our population want re-enacted”

The governor who boasted of a mass movement behind his re- election bid mocked the minister and the APC for embarking on anti-democratic activities instead of marketing themselves to the people and potential voters.

“If you are sure you have the votes of the people, why are you deploying anti-democratic means to stop the unstoppable will of our people? It is shameful and reprehensible that those who claim to be popular are dead scared to face the people in a free and fair election.

Governor Adeleke, speaking on Sunday through his Spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, described the claim as “a clear misreading of the political reality in Osun State, the people of the State are fully satisfied with the people-oriented and responsive governance being delivered by the present administration.

“Osun citizens are enjoying a government that prioritises workers’ welfare, infrastructural renewal, healthcare delivery, education, and inclusive development, and therefore have no desire to return to the era of hardship, neglect, and anti-people policies associated with the APC’s 12-year rule in the State.”

“You and your proxy, now the APC’s governorship candidate, were central figures in the mismanagement that plunged Osun State into economic distress, characterised by half salaries, mounting debts, and poor service delivery to the people. Osun will not go back to the dark days”, the governor was quoted as saying.

Governor Adeleke emphasised that his administration is currently reversing those damages and restoring dignity to governance in the State as attested to by several awards and recognition including the newest one, the winner of Primary health care leadership challenge for South West.

He further asserted that the impressive performance of his administration across all critical sectors has earned the trust and confidence of the people, who are determined to defend the gains of good governance at the polls.

“As the August 8, 2026 gubernatorial election approaches, Osun people are fully aware that a vote for the APC and its candidate is a vote for a return to the failures of the past. Such a regression is one the people of Osun are not prepared to entertain,” the Governor stated.

Governor Adeleke reaffirmed his commitment to sustained delivery of democratic dividends and urged Osun citizens to disregard political propaganda, assuring them of continued focus on people-centred development.

By George Mgbeleke

Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has announced that she will formally register as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Thursday, December 18.

Kingibe had in July disclosed her decision to leave the Labour Party (LP) for the ADC as part of her political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections. She described the move as intentional and said it would be concluded with “fanfare”.

“I’m totally and completely committed to ADC. But obviously, as the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, don’t expect me to just take a lunch break and go collect a card. I want to do so with noise and fanfare,” she had said.

*According to a statement released by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Kennedy Mbele, the registration ceremony is slated for 10 a.m. at the ADC national headquarters in Wuse, Abuja.*

The statement noted that the event will officially seal Kingibe’s departure from the Labour Party and mark her formal entry into the ADC.

Top-ranking party officials, ADC candidates contesting the February 21 FCT area council elections, party faithful, as well as members of the media, are expected to be present.

By George Mgbeleke

There was rowdy session in the Senate on Wednesday, as Senate rejected a motion seeking to summon the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over worsening waste management, sewage failures and the alleged unlawful revocation and conversion of designated green areas in Abuja.

The motion, titled “Urgent Need for Intervention in Waste Management, Sewage Services, Protection of Designated Green Areas, and Investigation into the Alleged Unlawful Seizure of Land Belonging to Bwari General Hospital, FCT,” was sponsored by Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT), alongside Senators Wadada Ahmed Aliyu, Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, Neda Imasuen, Aminu Iya Abass, Ibrahim Dakwambo and Orji Uzor Kalu.

Presenting the motion under Orders 41 and 51, which allows for urgent matters of importance to be raised without prior notice, Kingibe said the situation in the nation’s capital had reached “crisis proportions,” noting that “municipal waste collection across several districts of the FCT has not been carried out for several weeks, leading to massive accumulation of solid waste in residential, commercial and public spaces.”

She told the chamber that workers and contractors under the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB and other FCT agencies had “not been paid for about nine months,” a development she said had triggered industrial action and “the collapse of essential municipal services.”

According to her, “former waste management contractors were not paid between March and October 2025,” and although new contracts were awarded in mid-November 2025, “only 50 per cent of the former unpaid contractors were retained, while 50 per cent new ones were introduced.”

Kingibe added that the newly engaged contractors had formally written the FCT Minister, stating that “they cannot commence operations without a 30 per cent mobilisation fee,” further worsening delays in waste collection and sewage management.

She warned that “sewage blockages and accumulated waste have been building up for nearly eight months and have now reached crisis proportions,” stressing that blocked and overflowing sewage systems “expose residents to waterborne diseases, environmental contamination and severe sanitation risks.”

Beyond sanitation, the senator accused the FCT Administration of undermining the Abuja Master Plan through what she described as the systematic conversion of designated green areas.

“Green areas under the Abuja Master Plan, intended as service corridors for sewage, water and electricity infrastructure, as well as environmental buffers, are being built on through illegal revocations, forced evictions and reallocations,” she said.

Kingibe further alleged that “even where the reallocation of land is the subject of ongoing litigation, the FCT Minister has proceeded to demolish and reallocate such lands in total disregard of subsisting court processes.”

She cited the University of Abuja as a major victim, saying, “about 7,000 hectares of the university’s original 11,000 hectares have been taken over, reallocated or subjected to unauthorised use, leaving the institution with insufficient land to fulfil its statutory mandate.”

Recalling previous Senate intervention, she said, “Barely a year ago, this Senate was compelled to call the Honourable Minister of the FCT to order over similar issues, yet these practices persist.”

However, the Senate called for the motion to be dropped for not complying with the rules of the Red Chamber. Raising the issue, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said Kingibe had informed him, in compliance of the rules of the Senate, of a motion on rising solid waste in the FCT and ots attendant health risks but didn’t mention other issues – the inclusion of land revocation.

He noted that the order she cited only permits her to speak on a particular topic, adding that she ought to have raised a substantive motion to talk about everything she spoke of in her debate.

Similarly, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC Borno North), who had initially supported the motion and called for a summon of the FCT Minister, later withdrew his support. Also, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, dismissed the allegations against Wike as baseless, saying evidence of his work is clear for all to see.

“There are now developments in the FCT. The current minister changed the face of Abuja. He’s doing extremely very well. You cannot solve all problems at the same time, if there are other areas that needed to be done, we should engage our committee to interact with the minister so that he could do more,” he said.

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, also called for the withdrawal of the motion, calling for a substantive motion on notice.

After the debates, Akpabio urged Kingibe to withdraw the motion and bring a motion on notice instead to which she complied.

“I will re-present it as substantive motion on waste management,” she said.