R ivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Rivers State. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Fubara said the decision followed consultations with his family, friends, and associates.  “I have decided to withdraw from the APC governorship primaries. I will support whoever emerges as the candidate of our party,” he said. Fubara stated that the peace and stability of Rivers State should come before individual interests. He thanked his supporters for their backing and said his recent silence on the matter was deliberate. “My silence was guided by the interest of the state and its people,” he said. Quoting a local proverb, he added, “Not everything a hunter sees in the forest is spoken of in the marketplace.” The governor also thanked the APC for the platform given to him and acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s support. He said he would continue to serve as governor until the end of his tenure. Background Fuba...

  T he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA] has shut down a large Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine cartel operating from a hidden lab in an Ogun State forest, arresting 10 suspects including three Mexicans and the alleged ring leader. NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that the operation led to the recovery of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals worth over N480 billion. He called it the biggest meth bust in Nigeria’s history. According to Marwa, operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit carried out coordinated raids in Ogun and Lagos after months of intelligence work. The main target was a secret production lab in Abidagba forest, Ijebu East Local Government Area. “Through a clinical, simultaneous operation, we dismantled a sophisticated transnational syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican partners,” Marwa said. “They were manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal drugs on our soi...

D esmond Elliot has withdrawn from the APC primary for the Surulere 1 House of Assembly seat, saying his supporters were being intimidated at the polling venue. The Lagos lawmaker announced his decision on Wednesday at the Paddington mini stadium on Western Avenue, where the party was holding its primary election.  Elliot, who made the switch from acting to politics, told party members that he had pleaded with electoral officials several times to let his supporters into the venue. According to him, the requests were ignored. “They’ve been intimidating and stopping us in all zones,” he said. “I’m officially stepping down from this race. This is my ward, and my people are outside waiting.” He noted that many of his supporters were kept out of the venue despite repeated appeals. After the announcement, his supporters held a short peaceful protest before leaving the stadium with him.  Elliot said he chose to walk away to avoid any unrest, adding that no election should cost lives....

P eter Obi has been cleared to run for president under the Nigeria Democratic Congress [NDC] in the 2027 general elections. The party’s National Screening Committee confirmed his eligibility on Wednesday, a day after the screening exercise in Abuja.  Chairman of the committee, Senator Sam Egwu, who is also a former governor of Ebonyi State, said Obi met all the requirements set out in the party constitution, the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution as amended.  “After reviewing his documents and responses, we are satisfied that Peter Obi has complied with all necessary conditions,” Egwu said in a video posted on the party’s official X account. “He is therefore cleared to participate in the presidential primaries on a date to be announced later.” Speaking after the exercise, Obi said the process took more than two and a half hours. He explained that the committee examined his academic certificates, NYSC credentials, and age declaration, and also asked about his plans for Ni...