Former media aide to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has urged the African Democratic Congress, ADC, to “push forward” experienced southern politicians like Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Obi as presidential candidates.

Akande said Amaechi and Obi are Southern candidates capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

He spoke on Friday during an appearance on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television.

Akande said credible and experienced leaders from the South should be positioned if opposition parties are serious about mounting a strong challenge.

“If they were serious, people like Rotimi Amaechi, people like Peter Obi ought to be the ones to be pushed forward,” he said.

He highlighted Amaechi’s long career in public service, noting his experience across several levels of government.

“Look at Amaechi. Amaechi has been a speaker, he’s been a governor, he’s been a minister. He was second in the APC,” Akande said.

“Tremendous career in politics, opportunities in service. And he was the guy that was in charge of infrastructure development.”

According to him, the opposition needs a southern candidate with strong governance credentials who can stand “head-to-head against President Tinubu.”

Akande also warned that without a strong alternative candidate, former vice president Atiku Abubakar could continue to dominate opposition politics ahead of the next election.

“As things stand now, if you keep on getting the vibes that Atiku wants to do it by his means, he will probably be able to forge his way through by some means, because he seems to be the strongest politician in the party. The shadows of Atiku are still hanging heavily,” he said.

The Elders Forum of Taraba state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, alongside the party’s Like-minds Forum, has reaffirmed its support for the existing leadership structure of the party in the state while urging members to actively participate in the ongoing electronic membership registration.

The positions, as noticed by DAILY POST was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a joint meeting of the two groups held over the weekend in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.

The meeting attended by senior party members and key stakeholders, deliberated on developments within the party and strategies for strengthening its internal structure.

In the communiqué jointly signed by the Chairman of the PDP Elders Forum in the state, John Mamman, and the Chairman of the Like-minds Forum, Hilkiah Bubajoda Mafindi, the forum declared that it does not recognize any faction or group operating outside the legally constituted leadership of the party in Taraba State.

According to the resolution, the forum affirmed its recognition of the established leadership structure of the party from the ward level up to the State Working Committee, urging members to respect the existing party hierarchy and work together to promote unity within the PDP.

The elders and party stakeholders also called on members across the state to mobilize and register en masse in the party’s ongoing E-registration exercise, describing the process as critical to strengthening the party’s membership base and organizational capacity.

They further appealed to stakeholders at the ward and local government levels to support and facilitate the registration process in their respective areas to ensure wider participation among party faithful.

While acknowledging ongoing discussions at the national level, the forum appealed to members to remain calm and law abiding as they await the outcome of deliberations by the PDP Board of Trustees on issues affecting the party.

The meeting, according to participants, underscored the need for unity, discipline, and collective commitment among party members as the PDP continues efforts to consolidate its structure and strengthen internal cohesion in the state.

Veteran Nigerian gospel singer and songwriter, Toun Soetan, popularly known as Evangelist Shouet, has passed away at the age of 73.

The respected evangelist and gospel music icon, was widely recognised as the original composer of the popular Christian chorus ‘Darling Jesus’, a song that has remained a verse in churches across Nigeria.

Reacting to her passing, former Secretary of the Oyo State chapter of the Entertainment Writers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Kunle Bakare, described the late musician as a divinely gifted minister whose songs carried powerful spiritual messages.

“The late gospel music player will also be remembered for her music college, where she trained so many gospel music players, most of whom are reigning today,” Bakare said.

Also confirming the incident, gospel musician Peters Olaniyi Olusegun shared the news in a Facebook post.

“We just lost another legend this morning, Mummy Toun Soetan. May the Lord be with the family and Daddy Titus Soetan,” he wrote.

Beyond ‘Darling Jesus’, the late evangelist was also known for other notable songs such as ‘Ke Pe Jesu’ and ‘Cast Your Burdens’, which became widely used in Christian worship gatherings.

Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to immediately stop what it described as a growing crackdown on individuals who criticise the governments of the United States and Israel.

In a statement released on Friday, the rights organisation said it was seriously worried about the actions of the Department of State Services (DSS), particularly over how people expressing opinions on social media about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are being treated.

According to Amnesty, the situation has already led to the detention of at least two individuals in Kaduna.

“At least two people, both residents of Kaduna, have been detained, and one of them is reportedly facing what appears to be a sham trial based on questionable charges,” the organisation said.

Amnesty International also revealed that it had received reports indicating that several other Nigerians who publicly criticised the policies of the United States and Israel had been invited or summoned by the DSS for questioning.

The organisation warned that such actions could weaken respect for human rights and damage public trust in state institutions.

“These increasingly authoritarian practices undermine fundamental rights and erode confidence in the neutrality of state institutions, while also creating an atmosphere of fear,” the statement noted.

Amnesty stressed that criticising the actions or policies of any government is part of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and should never be treated as a criminal offence.

“Criticising the policies of any government or its leaders is a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression,” the organisation said, adding that this right is protected under Nigeria’s Constitution as well as international human rights agreements.

The group specifically referred to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and international instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantee citizens the right to express opinions and share ideas without fear of punishment.

Amnesty International therefore urged Nigerian authorities to end what it described as the growing repression of individuals who are peacefully exercising their rights.

“Nigerian authorities must put an end to attacks and repression against people who are simply exercising their human rights in a peaceful manner,” the organisation said.

It further warned that targeting individuals for criticising the policies of the United States or Israel could send a dangerous signal that peaceful dissent is not tolerated in the country.

“Targeting people for criticising the governments of the United States or Israel sends a chilling message that peaceful dissent is not welcome in Nigeria,” the statement added.

The organisation concluded by calling on Nigerian authorities to ensure that everyone in the country enjoys their rights without fear.

“The authorities must respect and protect the human rights of all people in Nigeria, including the right to freedom of expression both online and offline,” Amnesty said.

They urged the government to refrain from actions that could silence critics.

Plateau State High Court has ruled in favour of local government chairmen, granting their demand for a four-year tenure.

It nullified the present two-year tenure as contained in the laws of the state.

The 17 local council chairmen had dragged the state government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, PLASIEC, to court seeking an extension of their tenure from two years to four years, citing a breach of the Nigerian Constitution.

In a landmark judgement delivered on Friday by the state Chief Judge, Justice David Gwong Mannin, the court declared that the two-year tenure provided by the laws of the state and PLASIEC is inconsistent with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

The judgment also affirmed that the two-year tenure of the council chairmen contradicts constitutional provisions guaranteeing a democratically elected local government system.

While delivering the ruling, Justice Maninn held that the two-year tenure contradicts sections of the Nigerian Constitution that guarantee a democratically elected local government system, noting that the shorter tenure undermines the constitutional framework for local government administration and therefore cannot stand in the face of the constitutional provision.

The judge declared that the four-year tenure granted the elected local government chairmen in the state, aligns their position with the broader constitutional expectations for democratic governance at the grassroots level.

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar’s son, Adamu Abubakar has defected to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

DAILY POST had reported that Adamu, a former commissioner in Adamawa State resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Thursday.

A few hours after his resignation, Adamu completed his online registration with the ADC, a party where his father is aspiring to contest the 2027 election.

In an X post on Thursday night, Adamu called on “all my supporters and well wishers to join me by registering with the ADC as we work together to advance the cause of good governance and national development”.

A legal practitioner, Kenneth Okonkwo, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is now the leading opposition party in Nigeria, predicting that more politicians will soon defect to the party.

DAILY POST earlier reported that a total of nine senators have defected to the ADC, making it a leading minority in the National Assembly.

Reacting to this via Channels TV morning brief on Friday, Okonkwo stressed that the ADC does not rely on government power or resources to attract members.

According to him, the party’s growing appeal is driven by a coalition of opposition leaders seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“We’re not APC; we don’t have power to give and we don’t have resources to give. It’s not even within our reach because we are not the ruling power,” he said.

He, however, insisted that despite not controlling federal power, the ADC has emerged as the most viable opposition platform in the country.

“The truth is that ADC, the African Democratic Congress, is today the leading opposition party,” Okonkwo stated.

The lawyer noted that he had earlier advised opposition leaders from parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) to unite in order to effectively challenge the ruling party.

“I said this a long time ago that PDP, LP and other parties are not viable. The opposition leaders and parties should do themselves good to form a coalition,” he said.

According to him, the coalition eventually agreed to adopt the ADC as the political platform to pursue what he described as the aspiration for a new Nigeria.

“When they coalesced, they were able to deal with the APC that has constituted itself as an enemy of democracy and certainly an enemy of the welfare of the people,” Okonkwo added.

He further claimed that more politicians would soon join the party as the political landscape continues to shift ahead of future elections.

“You will see more politicians joining us soon, and APC will soon be history by the grace of God,” he said.

Kaduna state has recorded its first rain of the year. The rain touched the soil of the state at about 10pm on Thursday.

The rain which was accompanied by heavy wind sparked jubilation among residents who had grappled with a heat wave in the past weeks.

Recall that both Christians and Muslims have had to battle with high humidity amid ongoing fasting.

Many believe the change in weather has affected how members of both religions observe their fasting obligations, largely due to increased fluid intake.

A resident, Mallam Yusuf Dan Musa, told DAILY POST that the rain has now reduced the amount of water intake.

“We saw rain coming when we noticed the heat was much. Most of the time, excess heat brings instant rain.”

The rains came one week to the end of Muslim Ramadan fasting and more than two weeks before Easter that marks the end of Christian fasting.

The lingering crisis at the Taraba State University, TSU, which forced academic staff to embark on an indefinite industrial action, may soon be resolved following a major financial intervention by the Taraba State government.

This development, as noticed by DAILY POST became evident on Thursday when the state governor, Agbu Kefas, personally visited the university campus in Jalingo, the state capital, where he announced the approval of N3 billion to address outstanding entitlements owed to staff unions.

The intervention is widely seen as a decisive step toward ending the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, chapter of the institution.

While addressing members of the university community, the governor approved the immediate release of N200 million as part of the settlement. He also authorized monthly payments of N100 million beginning in April, which, according to him, will continue until the accumulated arrears are fully cleared.

In a symbolic show of commitment to the agreement, Kefa ,who serves as the Visitor to the university, was observed to have also signed documents authorizing the disbursement of the funds in the presence of the union leaders, including the ASUU Chairman, Dr. Mbave Joshua Garba.

Members of the university community have welcomed the intervention, describing it as a positive step toward restoring normal academic activities after months of disruption caused by the industrial action.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the university unions has scheduled a congress meeting to deliberate on the government’s offer.

Observers expect the unions to consider suspending the strike to allow lectures and other academic activities to resume.

However, some lecturers who spoke with DAILY POST noted that the final decision will depend on the outcome of the congress.

If the strike is eventually called off, the development is expected to stabilize the academic calendar at Taraba State University and bring relief to thousands of students whose studies have been stalled by the dispute.