A former Vice-President of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Abioye, will commence Sunday morning services on May 4, seven months after his retirement.

Bishop Abioye announced the Sunday morning service during the evening service in Abuja on Sunday, April 27.

The announcement was well received by the congregation who erupted in praises, shouts and applause, confirming their acceptance of the new development.

“Very important information. From next Sunday, by the grace of God, our service is migrating to morning. Hallelujah. And the time is 8 am. God bless you mightily in Jesus’ name,” the cleric announced. 

Abioye, alongside Bishop Thomas Aremu, retired from Living Faith in October 2024, after a review of the church’s administrative policy set the mandatory retirement age for leaders at 55.

At the time, Aremu was 67 and Abioye was 63.

The new policy also stipulated that future leaders of Living Faith will be restricted to one or two terms of seven years, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.

At his retirement service, he announced he would not start a new church, after spending years to help Bishop David Oyedepo to build the Winners Chapel.

Following his retirement, Bishop Abioye commenced a non-denominational ministry which held every Sunday evening.

Speaking at the end of an evening fellowship on April 27, Abioye said his ministry would now hold services on Sunday morning.

Abioye had noted that the ministry was birthed out of a divine mandate and not personal ambition.

Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level student of the University of Lagos, who is standing trial for the alleged murder of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Michael Ataga, on Monday, told a Lagos State High Court that she did not report the incident to the police because she was afraid.

Chidinma, in her defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, explained that she feared being wrongly accused if she reported the crime.

“I had read of incidents where people reported crimes and ended up being accused themselves,” she said.

“I also thought of calling the gateman again while I was at the staircase of the apartment, but I ended the call out of fear.” 

The defendant was also charged with stealing and forgery alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu.

They were arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge preferred against her.

The defendant who opened her case on April 17, 2025, narrated the events that followed the discovery of Ataga’s lifeless body. 

Chidinma gave a detailed account of her activities from June 16 to 23, 2021.

Led in evidence by her counsel, Onwuka Egwu, the defendant recounted that on June 16, 2021, she noticed that a WhatsApp message she had sent earlier to Ataga had been read and that his status was showing “online,” even though she had seen him lying motionless in a pool of blood.

She said she attempted to call his number several times, but the calls were declined. “I was confused. I asked myself if someone else had his phone,” she said.

Chidinma testified that she contacted the gateman known as Abu, who usually handled utilities at the short-let apartment.

When she asked him if he had seen Ataga, she said he replied that Ataga had left the previous day. However, the gateman later informed her that Ataga’s car was still parked at the property.

“Judging by what Abu told me, I said to myself, what have I done? I then sent a WhatsApp message to Michael saying, ‘Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to leave you in that state. I was very scared.’ After that, I was blocked from the number and couldn’t reach him again,” she said.

Chidinma stated that she had two laptops, one Macbook and one HP laptop, and on June 18, 2021, she took them to Computer Village, one for sale and the other for repair. 

She said that when she got to the vendor, whom she normally purchased from, and gave him the Macbook, for sale, the vendor asked her for the receipt.

“I said it was a gift from last December 2020, and then the manager entered and asked me to unlock the Macbook laptop so that he could check very well.

“Then I unlocked the laptop, they checked whatever they wanted to check and then asked me how much I wanted to sell. I said N600,000, we negotiated then it got sold for N495,000. He then asked me to sign out of the i-cloud, I signed out and the money was transferred into my bank account, and then I took the HP laptop for repair.”

The defendant also described events on June 19 and 20, 2021, stating that she attempted to reach Ataga through SMS due to a poor network connection.

Chidinma told the court that on June 20, 2021, she spoke with her sister, Chioma (the third defendant), and invited her over.

Chioma, who was in the eastern part of the country at the time, visited her on June 22, 2021.

According to Chidinma, Chioma had misplaced her phone in April when she travelled to the East.

Since she had two phones: an iPhone 11, and an iPhone 7, she gave her an iPhone 7 Plus she had used the previous year.

She testified that she was arrested by the police on June 23, 2021.

Chidinma, who denied having Ataga’s property, claimed that one of the officers slapped her, but her father intervened.

She said they were both handcuffed and taken to the police station at Panti.

“At the DCP’s office, I told him I didn’t know about the death. I said I ran out of fear and took my things. My father was also handcuffed. The DCP said he was interfering with the officers’ work,” she recounted.

She further told the court that the police later took them to her residence, where they recovered her phones, laptop, a black disposable bag containing clothes, some documents from the apartment, and ID cards.

Chidinma alleged that she was then taken to a smaller room where her left hand was handcuffed to a chair. 

She said an officer identified as Bamidele brought a blank statement form and asked her to write a statement.

“I told him I knew my rights and that a lawyer should be present. He said no lawyer was coming, and no one would be allowed to see me,” she claimed.

She further alleged that Bamidele threatened her, saying her family members, including her 10-year-old sister, could be detained if she did not cooperate.

“Because of what he said, I started writing,” she said.

After writing her statement, Ojukwu said Bamidele tore it up and demanded a new version.

He allegedly showed her graphic images from the crime scene and claimed that a robe recovered from the apartment was used to tie the deceased’s hands, an allegation she denied.

“I told him I couldn’t have tied Michael up. He was a huge man,” she said.

She said the officer also questioned her possession of various documents, including her UNILAG ID card, bank statements, and voter’s card, to which she replied that she was a student and had processed the documents legally.

Justice Adesanya adjourned the matter till April 29, 2025, for the continuation of the hearing.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the defection of Sheriff Oborevwori, governor of Delta, and the entire state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is a “political tsunami unprecedented in Nigeria’s history”.

On April 23, Oborevwori and other PDP bigwigs in Delta state defected to the APC.

Speaking in Asaba, the state capital, on Monday at a rally organised to welcome the governor and other new members to the APC, Shettima lauded Oborevwori and Ifeanyi Okowa, the former Delta governor, for their cordial relationship and for making history with the defection.

“What testimony can be greater than the promise of this day? A political tsunami of unimaginable proportion that has never happened in the history of the south-south region and barely in the history of this country,” the vice-president said.

“A political tsunami of this proportion has never happened where all the members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly are in the APC.

“The speaker and all the members of the house of assembly. So many members of the house of representatives, the governor and his entire cabinet, and 500 councillors across the 25 local government areas of this great state. What testimony do you have greater than this?

“The true measure of a political party lies not merely in the industry, the very name of its members, but in the conviction. It is, in fact, among those who once stood across from them.

“This vindication is even more fundamental. When those who once saw us as outsiders and opponents cross the lines of difference to become part of the enduring family we have built.

“This historic day, therefore, is both a celebration of the enduring promise of the APC and a tribute to the vision, courage, and foresight of the great giants we have come to welcome into the hall of fame of our political party, along with their devoted followers who are joining us today.”

Oborevwori described the development as a “movement” rather than a mere defection, emphasising unity and collective action.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Monday urged members of the ruling All Progressives Congress to remain focused on re-electing President Bola Tinubu in 2027, stressing that the President needs a second term to complete his economic reforms.

Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, warned that it would be “tragic” for another administration to halt the fiscal and economic policies currently being implemented by the Tinubu-led government.

“The most profound thing I will say here today is that every single APC member in this country today should be concentrating on the re-election of President Bola Tinubu, irrespective of whether it affects your personal interest or not,” he said.

“Because he does need a second term to fully finish up all these reforms.”

Keyamo further explained, “It will be tragic for any government to come in 2027 and stop these reforms. This is what has happened in the past where you have all kinds of inchoate policies being implemented. This is a very

Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna state, says “Kano is critical of any serious political formation because of its consistently high voter turnout”.

The former governor of Kaduna spoke on Monday when he visited Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, in his palace.

El-Rufai, who recently dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said Nigeria urgently requires a trustworthy political alternative to save the country from its existential crisis.

“Kano is critical to any serious political formation because of its consistently high voter turnout,” he said.

“After joining the SDP, it was important to come and engage with stakeholders here.

“Twelve years ago, we merged three major parties to form the APC and defeated an incumbent president. But now, the goal is different.

“We are bringing together disaffected members across political divides under an existing platform — the SDP — which we believe has the best pedigree and potential.”

The former governor said he joined the SDP to help create a credible political alternative free from godfatherism.

He added that godfatherism and dysfunction had ruined both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“We have seen how godfatherism destroyed the PDP and is now wrecking the APC. Nigerians deserve a party built on fairness, internal democracy, and equal opportunity; the SDP can be that alternative,” he said.

He added that, despite previously supporting southern leadership rotation, Nigeria’s pressing issues now necessitate prioritising capability and effective governance over regional origins in choosing leaders.

‘DEFECTIONS TO APC DON’T BOTHER ME’

Reacting to the movement of opposition politicians, including Sheriff Oborevwori, governor of Delta, to the APC, El-Rufai said he is not bothered by the wave of defections, adding that the will of the people would prevail.

He noted that the SDP remained focused on grassroots mobilisation rather than courting political bigwigs.

“A governor only has one vote. Elections are won by the people, not by politicians. Our focus is on mobilising ordinary Nigerians, not chasing high-profile defections,” he said.

“You are seeing northern energy because we’re currently in Kano, but I have been engaging leaders across Lagos, Anambra, and the south-south.

“Nation-building is grassroots work, not media shows. You’ll see the results when the time is right.”

El-rufai added that the ongoing coalition talks involving five major political groups aimed at forming a strong opposition movement under the SDP.

“It’s a broader national movement for disillusioned Nigerians. Progress is being made, although I had to move faster in Kaduna because many of my political associates needed an immediate platform,” he said.

The former governor said his political moves have always been guided by loyalty to Nigeria, not to individuals or political parties.

“When things began to go wrong under President Buhari, I wrote to him warning about the dangers – and when the naira redesign policy also hurt Nigerians,” he said.

“I challenged it in court, even though it was an APC-led government. I have never been loyal to individuals over the nation.”

He asked young Nigerians not to give up hope but to join the movement for a better future

Former Spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 Presidential Election, Kenneth Okonkwo, has distanced himself from rumours of joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News reports that Okonkwo, in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, said President Bola Tinubu had inflicted hunger, hardship, tears, and blood on Nigerians.

According to the Nollywood actor cum politician, joining APC will drain his life and enthusiam.

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Kenneth Okonkwo noted that with the wave of defections to the party, APC will soon implode, warning that those defecting into its ranks will ultimately regret their decision.

He said, “APC is already imploding, and will continue to implode until they are blown to smithereens. And we are talking two years to the election. I’ve made it clear that everybody joining APC now will regret it, because how do you think a nation of 200 million persons will tolerate to continue to be in ad infinitum poverty, ad infinitum hunger and hardship? Power resides with the people. When the people will speak, all these walls will crack.

“Contemplating that me, that entered politics for the welfare of the people, shall join an APC that is insensitive to the people’s welfare, that has punished Nigerians with hunger and hardship – The World Bank report now said that Nigeria will sink further into poverty till 2027. That in Tinubu’s regime, there is no hope for recovery from poverty. And they gave their reasons – Structural economic weaknesses, dependence on oil revenue, national fragility, in other words, national conflicts.

“Look at what’s happening in Plateau State. More than 100 persons have died, massacred by unknown people, and the president was in Paris and could not even cut his travel short to commiserate with people from Plateau State. Look at what’s happening in Rivers State. A president declared martial law and removed constitutionally elected representatives of the people. And look at what’s happening in Benue State. People dying. All the things this president has given Nigeria is tears and blood. And you want to say Kenneth Okonkwo will contemplate going into such an association?

“You want my life and enthusiasm to be drained? No! I reject APC as presently constituted.”

Admits Staff Privacy Breach

A former Quality Assurance Specialist at Access Bank’s contact centre in Oniru, Lagos State, Stephen Ifeanyichukwu Ejezie, has been accused of secretly filming his female colleagues while they used the restrooms.

A report by Foundation For Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reported that Ejezie was caught in the female restroom around 1:30am last Wednesday.

Multiple sources noted that staff members at the contact centre, which operates on a shift basis, often sleep, shower, and change at the office.

It was during one of these shifts that Ejezie allegedly sneaked into the women’s restroom, intending to place a hidden recording device.

A female staff member had raised alarm when she allegedly noticed a phone pointed towards her from an adjacent toilet cubicle while she was bathing, leading to Ejieze’s arrest.

Access Bank reportedly ordered Ejieze’s arrest and a subsequent raid on his residence led to the discovery of over 400 of compromising video clips. However, reports indicated that he has since been released.

His release has raised concerns among affected staff members who feared they may not get justice.

Further investigation by FIJ showed that Ejezie had stored numerous videos of male and female colleagues in various states of nakedness.

Sources also alleged that Ejezie had been selling the videos through platforms such as OnlyFans and Telegram, with buyers including foreign nationals.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Ejezie’s release and the bank’s subdued response have fueled speculation that the matter might be downplayed to protect the institution’s image.

Workers expressed unrest during a Friday morning meeting convened by the management, they were also nformed that staying overnight at the office was prohibited henceforth.

“We are traumatised, and there is no support being provided. People have the right to know if they were recorded so they are not haunted by this in the future,” a staff member said.

Admits Staff Privacy Breach

Access Bank has confirmed that an incident involving a former Contact Centre Agent, accused of filming colleagues in the bathroom, was under investigation by the appropriate authorities.

In a statement, the bank said it was cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation, emphasising its zero-tolerance stance on harassment and violations of privacy.

“Our attention has been drawn to reports circulating on social media regarding an alleged offence involving a former Contact Centre Agent. The matter has been handed over to the appropriate authorities, who are conducting an investigation. We are fully cooperating with them in this process.

“At Access Bank, we uphold a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and any form of privacy violation. We are also actively engaging with the affected employees to provide all necessary support,” the statement read.

The bank reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the safety, dignity, and well-being of both its employees and customers. It also urged the public and stakeholders to rely solely on information disseminated through its official channels for accurate updates.

Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has described his defection alongside his cabinet and other stakeholders from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “a movement” rather than a mere political shift.

Governor Oborevwori disclosed this on Monday while addressing a large crowd at the welcome rally to formally receive him and others to APC.

“What you have seen here today is a movement, not a defection,” he said. “We have consulted stakeholders at all levels. Mr President has shown us love. We cannot face him in 2027 to work against him. When you consult widely, you can see that the love is organic.”

The governor’s defection to APC marked a major political realignment in Delta State.

Recall that on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, the governor and his predecessor, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, had announced to switch allegiance to the APC.

Also, speaking at the event attended by APC national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, some governors elected on the platform of the ruling party, Okowa emphasised that the move was made in the interest of the state and its people.

“It is a great day for us in Delta State. When the news broke out on Wednesday, the 23rd of April 2025, that we had decided to change our path, people wondered why,” Okowa said. “But one thing is very important: in the history of a people, there is always a time to change a path for the common good of the people, and whatever decision that we took was based on that common good and the need to change our path in the best interest of our state.”

Okowa, who served as Delta State governor from 2015 to 2023, explained that the decision was motivated by the need to establish stronger ties with the federal government at the centre.

“As I did tell people that day, it was not about me, it was not about the governor, but the fact that there is a need for us to connect to Abuja, that goodwill that is in Abuja, that resource that is in Abuja of which Delta is a large contributor, there is a need to connect to it. I was governor for eight years; I did my best, but we lost a lot, and I did not believe that the governor needed to stay working very hard without tapping into that,” Okowa stated.

“But as the governor is doing a lot for us, he also needs to connect to the greater source of power, resources, and goodwill in Abuja,” the former governor added.

He further described the move as bold, patriotic, and well-intentioned. “When we sat down after the stakeholders meeting, we thought that it was necessary to make this move. The move is bold, it is patriotic, and it is well-intentioned. It is in the best interest of our state.”

The Senior Pastor of the Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, Bishop T.D. Jakes, has handed over the congregation leadership to his daughter and son-in-law.

Naija News reports that Jakes announced the decision on Sunday morning, April 27, 2025, weeks after suffering a massive heart attack while preaching at the church.

The Clergy admitted that getting hospitalised after suffering a massive heart attack on stage contributed to the decision.

T.D. Jakes, who founded The Potter’s House in 1996, confirmed that his daughter and son-in-law, pastors Sarah Jakes Roberts and Toure Roberts, will take over in July.

He said, “You have been faithful to God, and you have been faithful to me. “And I’m so grateful.

“I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and you be sheep without a shepherd.”

Sarah Jakes Roberts said, “I’m grateful, I’m honored, as your daughter.

“I’m so happy you’re going to get some rest.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with American broadcaster, Craig Melvin on the TODAY show, Jakes recounted the massive heart attack.

Jakes said he did not feel any symptoms of a cardiac arrest, but doctors later told him he was preaching with only half of his heart working.

He said, “I didn’t really realize what was happening to me onstage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance and fussing that it happened onstage, by the way, because I didn’t want it to happen, and the doctor leaned over my ear and said, ‘You had a massive heart attack.’

“The reason I didn’t realize it was because I had none of the symptoms that they say.

“No numbness, no sharp pain, no anything. I just kind of drifted off to sleep. I didn’t know what it was, but I almost died.

“(The doctor) said five minutes later, I’d have been dead on arrival.

“The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all.”

The suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Udaughan, on Sunday, tendered an unreserved apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the controversial sexual harassment allegation she levelled against him.

However, her perceived apology was veiled in a satirical letter she wrote to the former Akwa Ibom governor, who is currently in Rome for the late Pope Francis’ funeral and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

PUNCH Online reported that Natasha was suspended on March 6 following a heated disagreement with the Senate leadership over a new seating arrangement, which she alleged was designed to undermine her.

Tensions rose further when Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio on national television of punishing her for rejecting his purported sexual advances.

During the Women in Parliament session at the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting at the United Nations in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan called for international intervention to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable.

She also criticised the severe measures imposed on her, including the withdrawal of security, salary cuts, and a six-month suspension from the National Assembly.

Following a series of legal fireworks between both parties, the court barred the duo from talking to the press and commenting on the issue until the legal outcome of the case.

However, on Sunday, two days after Akpabio led a Federal Government delegation to the Vatican, the Kogi Central senator wrote a derisive ‘Apology Letter’ directed at the Senate President.

It read, “Dear Distinguished Senate President Godswill Akpabio, It is with the deepest sarcasm and utmost theatrical regret that I tender this apology for the grievous crime of possessing dignity and self-respect in your most exalted presence.

“I have reflected extensively on my unforgivable failure to recognise that legislative success in certain quarters is apparently not earned through merit, but through the ancient art of compliance — of the very personal kind.

“How remiss of me not to understand that my refusal to indulge your… “requests” was not merely a personal choice, but a constitutional violation of the unwritten laws of certain men’s entitlement. Truly, I must apologize for prioritizing competence over capitulation, vision over vanity, and the people’s mandate over private dinners behind closed doors.

“I now realize the catastrophic consequences of my actions: legislation delayed, tempers flared, and the tragic bruising of egos so large they require their own postcodes. For this disruption to the natural order of “quid pro quo,” I bow my head in fictional shame.

“Please find it in your magnanimous heart — somewhere buried deep beneath layers of entitlement — to forgive this stubborn woman who mistakenly believed that her seat in the Senate was earned through elections, not erections. I remain Yours in eternal resistance, Senator Natasha H Akpoti Uduaghan Unafraid, Unbought, and Unbroken.”