Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended his FCT counterpart, Nyesom Wike, following rumours of a rift over the Rainbow Coalition.

Umahi said they remained members of the same political family ahead of next year’s polls.

He clarified this on Wednesday in Abuja while interacting with newsmen on the infrastructure projects of the Federal Government.

According to him, there is no political feud between them and Wike, stressing that despite attempts by opponents to portray them as being at loggerheads, their political relationship had remained intact.

“We need Wike as Wike needs us. So, it’s one family. There’s no rift between us,” Umahi said.

This comes following earlier disagreements within the All Progressives Congress, APC, over the Rainbow Coalition, a political platform promoted by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The suit seeking the probe of abandoned erosion control projects in different communities in Enugu State is now before the Court of Appeal.

DAILY POST recalls that the Federal High Court in Enugu had, in its judgment, declined to order the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, and the Federal Ministry of Environment to make public details of the projects awarded for erosion control in five Enugu communities.

Justice M. T. Segun-Bello, who delivered the judgment, said NEWMAP was a non-juristic person.
A civil rights group, G.A.L Initiative, acting in the interest of the communities, had approached the court, alleging that N60 billion meant for the projects had been diverted.

The affected communities are Onuiyi Gully, Aloruno Gully, Imilike Etiti Gully and Anyazuru Ohom Orba, all in the Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu State.

The spokesperson for G.A.L Initiative, Mr Zekeri Idris Mohammed, has now confirmed that an appeal has been lodged at the Enugu Division of the Court of Appeal.

“We have instructed our lawyer to proceed with the appeal, which he did, and Appeal No. CA/E/127/2027 is now pending for hearing.

“The judgment of the Federal High Court, Enugu, shows that a project body or agency of the government can receive billions of naira for a project and embezzle it on the grounds that it is a non-juristic person.

“All eyes are now on the Court of Appeal, Enugu, for justice,” Mohammed said.

He recalled that the organisation had applied for the release of certified true copies of the contract documents for the projects in respect of the sums of money collected by the agency at its Enugu State Project Office between 2015 and 2023. He said both the agency and the Federal Ministry refused to release them.

This, according to him, necessitated a suit at the Federal High Court in Enugu, seeking an order directing the two bodies to release the CTCs of the contract documents.

“It is disappointing that the Federal High Court 2, Enugu, presided over by Hon. Justice M. T. Segun-Bello, dismissed the applicant’s case on the basis that the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP EIB), which was a Federal Government project management body that collected the huge sums of money from the World Bank-sponsored project through the Federal Ministry of Environment, its superior, is not a juristic person and cannot be sued, while the beneficiary communities are left to suffer from the terrible erosion menace,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the lead lawyer to the appellant, Barr C.I. Odo was, however, optimistic that confidence that “the Appeal Court will right the wrong by ordering the release of the CTC of the public documents to use.”

He added that the case was of public interest.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has condemned the remand of its member, Ani Chidi, by an Enugu court over charges arising from a video of an attack on party members.

The party, in a statement, accused the Enugu State Police Command of targeting Chidi after he recorded and circulated footage of the attack during an NDC meeting in Obuoffia Awkunanaw.

Chidi was arraigned before an Enugu East Magistrate’s Court sitting in Nkwo Nike on three counts bordering on cybercrime and alleged criminal defamation.

According to the charge sheet, the police accused Chidi of publishing the video and allegedly identifying three individuals as members of the group that attacked the NDC meeting.

The NDC, however, faulted the prosecution, alleging that the police had ignored those responsible for the violence and instead pursued the party member who documented the incident.

“It is shameful that the Nigeria Police Force, under the Inspector-General of Police, would ignore the thugs who unleashed violence on our members and instead prosecute a member who recorded the incident,” the party said.

The party further accused the police of using their powers against opposition members and demanded Chidi’s immediate and unconditional release.

“We find this action deeply offensive and call for the immediate and unconditional release of our member,” the NDC said.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has called on the Federal Government to immediately increase the salaries of federal workers rather than wait for the next review of the national minimum wage.

TUC President, Festus Osifo, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists after a meeting of the union’s National Administrative Executive Council.

Osifo said the government had the power to improve workers’ pay without waiting for a new Minimum Wage Act.

He explained that the national minimum wage should serve as the lowest amount an employer is required to pay workers and should not prevent the government or employers from offering higher salaries.

Osifo said the government could improve workers’ welfare without waiting for a new Minimum Wage Act.

“The Federal Government can increase the salaries of its lowest-paid workers and adjust the pay structure upwards. In the private sector, many employers already pay above the statutory minimum, particularly for workers with specialised skills and greater responsibilities,” Osifo said.

He cited banks, food and beverage companies, and oil and gas firms as examples.

According to him, their salaries were generally based on the value of the jobs rather than the national minimum wage.

The TUC president also said the government could review workers’ allowances separately from the minimum wage.

Osifo said the union had engaged government officials, including the Minister of Finance and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on measures to improve workers’ welfare.

“He urged the government to take immediate steps to ease the economic burden on workers rather than wait until the next minimum wage review,” Osifo said.

Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a social media post on Wednesday while sharing photographs of the Minister and Davies.

Davies, a former member of the House of Representatives, was a staunch supporter of the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi.

His decision to join the coalition was made public after he visited Wike at his residence in Port Harcourt on Wednesday morning.

 Wike, who has been in Rivers State for about a week, has held meetings with several political leaders in the state as part of efforts to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

There has been ongoing political realignment among different political parties in the state as the general elections draw near.

A leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Borno State has deepened after a faction led by Dr Muhammad Khala recognised Attom Muhammad Magira as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The Khala faction based its decision on a recent Court of Appeal judgment in suit No. CA/ABJ/CV/608/2026 concerning the leadership of the party’s state executives.

However, the acting chairman of the ADC in Borno State, Bukar Kolo, rejected Magira’s recognition, insisting that the party’s governorship primary conducted by its national leadership produced Babagana Buhari as the candidate.

Kolo said the Court of Appeal judgment cited by the Khala faction did not declare Magira the party’s governorship candidate.

He also said Magira participated in the primary that produced Buhari and questioned how he could subsequently emerge as the party’s candidate.

According to Kolo, the leadership dispute that formed the basis of the Court of Appeal case remains subject to further legal proceedings, with the matter now before the Supreme Court.

Reacting, Magira welcomed the Khala faction’s decision and said he respected the Court of Appeal judgment and would abide by the outcome of the judicial process.

He also challenged Kolo to provide evidence of his position as acting chairman of the party in Borno State.

The opposing positions have left the Borno ADC with competing claims over its governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 election.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, has demanded the immediate release of funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to enable it to prepare for the 2027 general elections.

The national chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, made the demand on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time.

2027 general elections are 100 days away, with various political parties intensifying their campaign efforts.

INEC, through its national chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, had said that it had started delivering non-sensitive materials to some states.

“Before now, I’ve always said this publicly that INEC is not funded appropriately. You don’t need to delay the release of funds to them. The executive needs to timely release election funds to enable INEC to prepare.

“Some of the things they require to conduct credible elections, they don’t get from here, so if they are made to rush into the production of this equipment, it might be disastrous for the smooth processing of our election.

“For the chairman of INEC to come out and tell Nigerians that INEC staff are least paid shows the depth of the issue,” he said.

Contrary to the resolution by All Progressives Congress, APC, governors to distance themselves from the Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party political group championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has expressed support for the coalition.

Recall that the APC governors, led by Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, had resolved to reject the idea of a multi-party coalition, arguing that it could jeopardise the political ambitions of party members seeking various elective positions.

The position has, however, exposed a growing division among the governors, with some openly aligning with Wike and the coalition.

Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Aiyedatiwa said there was nothing wrong with the coalition, stressing that those involved were ultimately working towards the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.

He said, “The Rainbow Coalition led by Wike, there’s nothing wrong with having a coalition. If the Rainbow Coalition is supporting President Tinubu, what is wrong with that?

“I don’t have any problem with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, but in my state, it’s APC all the way. I have a relationship with Wike.

“He supported me when I ran for governor under the APC, despite being a PDP member. He didn’t support the PDP candidate at the time.”