Prominent Business Executive and Socialite, Aisha Achimugu, has declared “hunger strike” in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody following her arrest by operatives of the commission.

A statement by the legal team of Achimugu, led by Mr Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, on Tuesday in Abuja said that their client was arrested at about 5 a.m., at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the EFCC had in March declared Achimugu wanted over allegations of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

NAN also recalls that a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice I.E. Ekwo, had on Monday ordered Achimugu to appear before the EFCC on Tuesday, and to also, appear before the court on Wednesday.

Ojukwu said that their client had arrived voluntarily from London to honour the EFCC invitation before her arrest by operatives of the commission.

He said that the socialite had through her lawyer informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that she would visit the EFCC on Tuesday.

He explained that the planned visit was in connection with an ongoing investigation into an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering brought against her.

”In the light of what transpired in court on Monday, our client returned based on the undertaking before the court to honor the EFCC’s invitation, but was arrested at the airport.

”She has immediately gone on a hunger strike. She is a prisoner of conscience and our stand in the arrest is that it has run contrary to the rule of law,” he said.

NAN reports that efforts to reach out to the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale on the arrest of Achimugu proved abortive as the phone rang severally without picking.

Ojukwu said that Achimugu was a well-known business magnate and the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Felak Concept Group, a consortium comprising several companies in engineering, maritime, oil and gas, and information technology.

(NAN)

We have read the alarming claims of disgruntled opposition figures, some partisan human rights crusaders and emergency defenders of democracy over recent defections of key members of opposition parties into the governing All Progressives Congress.

The seismic shift caused by Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno's open declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu, the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the former vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and the principal political actors in Delta and Rivers States certainly threw the opposition and their sympathisers into disarray.

While the opposition elements are understandably heartbroken over the failure of their fabled grand coalition to gain traction, we find it disturbing that they resorted to peddling false allegations of promoting a one-party State against President Bola Tinubu, who is working very hard to reverse decades of economic mismanagement in our country.

Contrary to the false claims in the propaganda materials in circulation across mainstream and social media, democracy is not under any threat in Nigeria. Accusations that the administration is moving towards authoritarianism are baseless and exaggerated.

We must add that no policy, official action, or directive from the Presidency seeks to "dismantle democracy" or "weaken opposition or create a one-party state."

Accusations of bribery, blackmail, and the weaponisation of state institutions only exist in the idle minds of politicians and their agents who have failed in their assigned role of opposition and are fishing for scapegoats.

The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs. It is certainly not part of President Tinubu's job to organise or strengthen opposition parties.

We find it curious that those who celebrated the defection of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the formation of a regional grand coalition with the sole aim of defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 election are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria's so-called drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism.

While the latter-day defenders of democracy raised no anxious voice against the disgruntled politicians cobbling an anti-Tinubu, anti-APC coalition along dangerous regional lines, even before INEC blows the whistle for party politicking, they are quick to ascribe the political shifts in some states to "bribery, blackmail, and coercion" without any shred of evidence.

Without any equivocation, freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of choice are part of the cherished ideals of democracy.

When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any association or political party of their choice or cannot openly express their views, democracy is imperilled.

Those opposed to the Tinubu administration should understand that they can issue diatribes, without fear, against the government because we practice a thriving democracy.

It is hypocrisy writ large when opposition politicians and their collaborators in the 'human rights' movement desire that the party of the President should implode so they can gain electoral advantage and cry wolf when their wish does not materialise.

We want to state that democracy is not threatened or undermined simply because politicians exercise their rights to freedom of association.

Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will, based on the belief that the reforms being executed are in the interest of Nigerians and the unborn generation.

It is a gross disservice to democracy in itself for these emergency defenders of democracy to delegitimise the political choices of some Nigerians while upholding the choices of others to form a coalition against Tinubu and APC.

Under President Tinubu, democracy is strong, and the multiparty democratic system will continue to flourish unhindered.

His administration remains resolutely committed to upholding and strengthening the democratic foundations upon which our Fourth Republic has stood since 1999

Politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria. In more advanced democracies, there are ready examples of notable politicians, statesmen and women who changed their parties.

President Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, deserve commendation for making the ruling party viable and attractive to all Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.

President Tinubu is an avowed democrat and a firm believer in multiparty democracy.

His political activism and democratic credentials in galvanising and strengthening opposition platforms as a force that defeated a sitting President and the then ruling party attest to his credibility as a tested defender of multiparty democracy.

We urge all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in protecting our democracy by respecting our people's choices and giving alarmists, who draw their narratives from the pool of fiction, a wide berth.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information and Strategy)

The defections led to the collapse of the entire PDP structure into the ruling APC, ending 26-year run of the PDP in the governance of Delta State.

The high-level defections followed a meeting of PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state on Wednesday in Asaba, the state capital.

Announcing the outcome of the meeting at a press conference in Asaba, the state capital, Delta State commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, flanked by Senator James Manager, a pioneer member of the party, disclosed that Vice President Kashim Shetima was expected to receive Governor Sheriff Oborewvori and the PDP family into the APC camp in Asaba on Monday.

Vice President Shettima will be attend a rally at the Cenotaph in Asaba on Monday.

Consequently, the governor has directed all PDP stakeholders in the state to join the APC.

The defections come barely a week after Governor Oborevwori and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Umo Eno, pledged support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 second-term ambition.

LEADERSHIP exclusively reported in January that at least five PDP governors, including Oborevwori, would defect to the APC.

Although Oborevwori had consistently denied reports of his defection to the ruling APC, PDP leaders in the Delta insisted that he had perfected his plan to jump ship.

The PDP leaders had claimed that the governor had perfected his defection to the APC during a visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos early this year.

The governor’s defection further reduces the number of PDP governors to 11, a far cry from the party’s peak as a ruling party in 2007 when it held 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states.

Briefing journalists at the end of yesterday’s meeting, the state commissioner for works (rural roads) and public information, Charles Aniagwu, said the decision became necessary following the unfortunate happenings at the party’s national level.

He said: “For some time now, the media, particularly social media, have been awash as to what political decisions we will take in Delta.

“While that was on, the governor and the leaders of the party have been very busy carrying out some necessary consultations and it is also part of that consultation that has resulted in this meeting today for the leaders of the PDP to be able to advise as to what necessary steps that needed to be taken.”

According to him, the party leaders were unanimous on the need for a political change in the state.

He went on: “And there was a need for change that would help cement the development in our state; to build the bond of love that has existed in our state, and to further advance the security and welfare of our people.

“As you know, all politics is local. So in taking this decision, we came to the inevitable conclusion that moving out of the PDP is very necessary for us to collaborate with our kith and kin and build that bond that we have been enjoying.

“We believe that what is happening in the PDP at the national level can be likened to that of palm wine, whose taste has changed, which is why this decision has been made.

“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to say that we are moving to the APC boldly.”

Also speaking, Senator James, the pioneer chairman of the PDP in the state, said the decision was made in consultation with various stakeholders across the state.

“You have just been told about some things happening in the Delta State PDP. Some consultations have been going on, and the climax of these consultations is what you are seeing today.

“We have discussed and have agreed to disagree, and it is a unanimous agreement. I am the pioneer state chairman of the PDP, but you cannot be in a boat already capsizing because I am a riverine man.

“Looking at issues the way they are; we have come to the inevitable conclusion to do something else. It is a collective decision for so many reasons.”

Manager referenced the PDP Governors’ decision at a recent meeting not to collaborate with any other political party towards dethroning the ruling APC in 2027 as evidence that the PDP was heading nowher.

“But as disadvantaged as the PDP is now with about 11 governors, how do you go into a contest with an incumbent president? You think you can win? That particular resolution killed the spirit of so many PDP members.

“We (PDP) lost the election in 2015 due to a merger which even included splinter groups from the PDP. There are also other reasons.

“Today, Sen Anyanwu is the party’s national secretary; tomorrow, it will be another person. The party must be in a position to win an election. So you see that it is becoming hilarious. The PDP is truly in trouble.

“If you look closely, the current PDP state chairman, the governor, the deputy governor, the immediate past governor, and the speaker were in the meeting – all these persons were in the meeting; also National Assembly and House of Assembly members: the who’s who in Delta State were in the meeting to make this decision,” he said.

With Oborevwori now wearing APC’s colours, the South’s political map has tightened. The new alignment enhances President Bola Tinubu’s re-election chances by adding roughly 1.4 million Delta votes to the ruling party, assuming that the ordinary people align with the political choices of the political elite.

The state deputy governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, the immediate past governor of the state and former vice-presidential candidate of the party, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, members of the National Assembly, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, members of the State House of Assembly, commissioners, local government council chairmen, top government functionaries, and party officials attended the meeting.

APC Welcomes Gov Oborevwori, Okowa, Others, Assures Of Party’s Cooperation, Accommodation

Meanwhile, the APC National Working Committee has welcomed Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and other leaders of the PDP to the ruling party.

APC national publicity secretary Felix Morka, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday after the defection of Oborevwori, Okowa and other Delta PDP leaders, assured them of cooperation and accommodation in the ruling party’s family.

He said the APC NWC led Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was highly elated by the decision of Governor Oborevwori to join the party, along with eminent leaders of the PDP including former governor and vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, senior administration officials, leaders and members of the House of Assembly, local government chairmen and councillors in the state, and teeming leaders and  members of the PDP.

“With this move, coming on the heels of steady decamping of PDP leaders and members across the state to APC, including members of Delta Unity Group in Ika federal constituency, we are delighted that Delta state, now an APC state, stands poised to contribute maximally to the success and realisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to the enduring good and prosperity of Deltans and all Nigerians,” Morka stated.

6-term Lawmaker Dumps PDP

In the same vein, a ranking member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Oluwole Oke, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Oke, a six-term lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in Osun State, said he left the PDP after consulting his political associates, friends, and family members.

His resignation letter, which LEADERSHIP sighted, was dated April 16, 2025, and addressed to the PDP chairman in Ward 7, Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State. A copy was sent to the national and state chairmen.

“I wish to formally notify you that I am resigning my membership in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) immediately.

“This was concluded after consultation and engagement with my political associates, family and friends. I wish you would accept my resignation in good faith,” the letter reads.

However, the lawmaker did not disclose his next political move, even as he urged his loyalists and supporters to leave the PDP and await his next direction.

Oke was suspended by the Osun State PDP Chapter due to his alleged loyalty to President Tinubu.

LP Senator Mulls Joining Ruling Party 

There are strong indications that Senator Neda Imansuen, who represents Edo South Senatorial District under the Labour Party (LP) platform, may soon defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as members of the APC mount continue to pressure on federal lawmakers.

The Labour Party at national and Edo State levels have been engulfed in an intractable leadership crisis and factions.

The lawmakers had evaded questions on his continuous membership of the LP on several occasions owing to the crisis rocking the party.

Imansuen is often seen in public functions alongside notable APC leaders in Edo State. He is said to enjoy cordial relationships with the state’s ruling party members. Rumours over his likely defection had sent tongues wagging in political circles.

Giving credence to the speculation and his imminent defection, the special adviser to Governor Monday Okpebholo on Political Mobilisation and Engagement, Hon Eugene Utubor, visited the Edo politician Tuesday night pressure him into joining Governor Okpebholo in his developmental agenda.

It was reliably gathered that the meeting, which lasted for several hours, centred on bringing in the LP National Assembly member to join the party. A source privy to the meeting described it as fruitful.

Imansuen, the Senate Committee chairman on Ethics and Privileges, expressed gratitude for the visit and commended Okpebholo’s efforts at driving development in the state.

He was quoted as having stated, “The governor has done remarkably well in such a short time.

“It is crucial that we come together to ensure the success of his vision for our people. Every well-meaning Edo citizen is encouraged to rally around the governor as he works diligently for our collective progress.”