News

We’ re not leaving PDP, but…— Dickson

Published

3 months ago

March 24, 2026

Former governor of Bayelsa State and a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, says he is unhappy with the ‘death’ of the once biggest party in Africa, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Dickson, sensing the collapse of the PDP, has defected to the NDC.

The NDC is currently gaining traction with many bigwig politicians joining the party.

The former Bayelsa governor speaking yesterday during an interview on Channels Television said he was sad with on goings in the PDP.

He further disclosed that former Nigerian president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, “must be sad” that the party, which produced three presidents since the return of democracy in 1999, has been “killed and buried”.

When asked if he consulted Jonathan before the move, Dickson, who is from the same state as the ex-president, said, “What I can say is that President Jonathan, while I’m not his spokesman, must be very sad.

“I know that if I’m sad, having been this attached to the PDP, you can imagine how sad he will be, having been governor, deputy governor, vice president, and president of Nigeria on that platform, and right before your eyes, that platform is evaporating.”

He used the opportunity to introduce his new party to Nigerian saying, “So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it had started some years or months back; we don’t control INEC and their processes. They delayed. We also don’t control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived.”

The PDP is currently embroiled in a deep crisis and may not produce a presidential candidate for the next election.

Despite accusations that the major players in the PDP, like Dickson, are leaving the party, the lawmaker said, “It wouldn’t be correct to say that we are leaving the PDP or that I have left the PDP.

“The PDP, rather unfortunately, has left us, has left me, because the platform has evaporated and ceased to exist.”

News

Edo cracks down on cultists, kidnappers

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

The Exclusives

Monday Okpebholo

Edo State Government has established a Special Criminal Court to expedite the prosecution of cultists, kidnappers and other criminal offenders as part of efforts to tackle rising insecurity in the state.

The Chief Registrar of the Edo State Judiciary, Benson Osawaru, disclosed on Friday that the court was established at the request of Governor Monday Okpebholo.

According to Osawaru, the Special Criminal Court will handle cases relating to cultism, kidnapping and other matters that may be assigned by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Daniel Okungbowa.

He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring speedy dispensation of justice and curbing the growing wave of cult-related violence and abductions across the state.

“The move is expected to address the rising cases of cult-related violence and kidnappings by ensuring quick prosecution of offenders and serving as a deterrent to criminal elements,” Osawaru stated.

Edo State has in recent months witnessed a surge in violent crimes, particularly incidents of kidnapping and cult clashes in several communities.
Meanwhile, Governor Okpebholo has reiterated his administration’s commitment to eliminating kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality from the state.

Speaking at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) local government election campaign for the Edo Central Senatorial District at the Uromi Town Hall in the Esan North-East Local Government Area, the governor assured residents that decisive measures were being taken to restore security and public confidence.

He said efforts were underway to create a safe environment that would enable farmers displaced by insecurity to return to their farmlands without fear.

The governor stressed that criminal elements terrorising communities would be made to face the full weight of the law.
“Governors are ready to fight insecurity across the nation. The perpetrators will be exposed, and they will run away from the country. In Edo State, there will be security, and our farmers will be able to return to their farms,” he said.
Okpebholo added that his administration would not allow kidnappers and bandits to find refuge in the state.

“I am determined to ensure that kidnappers and bandits do not find a haven in Edo State. Our decisive action against criminals will serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.

The governor further declared that tough measures against convicted criminals would discourage others from engaging in crime.

“I am serious about the fight against insecurity. By the time we execute one, two, three and more of these criminals, others will run away from Edo State,” he stated.

News

Why insecurity persists in the north, by Nasarawa governor

Published

3 days ago

June 26, 2026

The Exclusives

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has identified some of the reasons for the incidences of insecurity and out-of-school crisis in the northern part of Nigeria.

Speaking at a Summit on enhancing human capital development in Northern Nigeria in Abuja, Sule said the Almajiri system is “the single largest structural contributor” to Nigeria’s education emergency.

The Almajiri is a traditional system of Islamic education prevalent in northern Nigeria, where young boys leave their families to study the Quran under the guidance of religious teachers (Mallams). Originally a respected scholarship tradition, it has devolved into a socio-economic crisis, leaving millions of out-of-school children vulnerable to destitution and exploitation.

The country has an estimated 18.3 million out-of-school children, and recent data shows Almajiri children make up roughly 72% to 81% of that total, concentrated in the North.

He, therefore, urged the National Assembly to permanently outlaw the Almajiri system.
“Many minors recruited into banditry graduated from the Almajiri system,” Sule said.

Nasarawa accounts for about 430,000 out-of-school children.

At the event, the governor recalled the 2020 mass repatriation of Almajiri children by Nasarawa and Kaduna states but said enforcement alone isn’t enough without alternatives.

He is proposing a total ban on the Almajiri system, replaced with mandatory formal education and skills acquisition.
Sule is seeking total collaboration of the Northern intelligentsia, the political class, and the traditional system.

He urged Northern leaders to turn summit discussions into actionable draft bills, arguing that “policy changes are the only way to defeat regional poverty.”