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Historic rally as Akwa Ibom becomes APC state

Published

1 year ago

June 23, 2025

Whirlwindnews

By Joe Iniodu

The arena spangled with an assortment of colours — white, red, purple, yellow, grey, green, brown — either as uniform worn by different groups or flags fluttering as banners coalescing into a constellation of colourful spectacle. The atmosphere was boisterous as music from the speakers intertwined with varying entertainment from various groups. The mood hightened into an electrifyingly ecstatic symphony. The human traffic within and outside the arena bourgeoned to almost inelastic point. The massive crowd underscored the historic nature of the day. As it could be said, if one were to spiritually appraise the event, it could indeed be described as the day the Lord had made.

The day was June 21, 2025. It was the grand reception of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, Ph.D into the fold of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Eno had on June 6, 2025, announced that he was “progressively moving to the All Progressives Congress,” citing enlightened State interest as the motivation. He had therefore, earlier that day resigned his membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — the platform that brought him to power and which is almost in smithereens due to internal wranglings. June 21 was therefore set aside for the reception and his official admission into APC, a surer platform from where he could prosecute his second term ambition without any legal ambush.

Information to the public had put the commencement of the event for noon. But by early morning, the arena was thronged with a mammoth crowd. The breadth of Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard which hosts the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium had the two sides of the road crammed with vehicles, leaving people the choice of parking at endless distances and taking long walks to the venue.

So passionate were the people that they didn’t mind to walk kilometres to the venue. By 12 noon, the venue was jam-packed to its brim. Time was ticking. At about 1:15 p.m., blaring sirens rent the air, signalling the arrival of the expected dignitaries. At exactly 1:18 p.m., a Coaster bus conveying the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor Umo Eno and many other dignitaries rolled into the arena. As they stepped out of the bus, the crowd erupted in ecstacy. The arrival coincided with the time a popular music artiste in the state, Mr Xto, was doing one of his pulsating renditions, “Na You Dem Send.” The moment witnessed a blend between a Governor who has endeared himself to his people and a song which long held the appeal of the people. As the governor moved around the arena waving at the people and gyrating subtly to the music, flags fluttered, displaying a rainbow of scenic splendour. The joy of the people knew no bounds.

Then came the speeches. The Chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom State, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo, opened the floodgate with his welcome address. He welcomed the dignitaries, expressing profuse and special gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by his dependable Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Vice President in his own capacity and the President of the Senate, who himself an illustrious son of Akwa Ibom. Ntukekpo thanked and welcomed Governor Eno into the APC fold, noting that the decision to join the ruling party will best serve the interest of the state.

The Deputy National Chairman of APC, South -South, Rt. Hon.(Elder) Victor Geidom, in his remarks described the day as an important date in the history of Nigeria. He said that despite the fact that the region contributes so much to Nigeria, it could not really get its due because it was in the opposition. He said he was happy that four of the states in the region are already in the ruling party and expressed optimism that very soon all the states in the region shall belong to APC. Geidom thanked Governor Eno for the laudable decision to join APC, adding that it would strengthen the party in the region and at the national level.

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State described the day as the best in the South-South. “Once upon a time, I was an orphan”, he said, referring to the period when he was the only APC governor in the South-South. He revealed that he used to ponder over the dissonance between the enormous contributions of the region to the national coffers and the paltry rewards that accrued to states in the South-South, implying that belonging to the ruling party would change the dynamics. Governor Otu used the occasion to endorse President Tinubu for a second term using a voice vote, to which the crowd responded in the affirmative.

The governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma in his remarks, said he was delighted to witness such a mammoth crowd. He expressed his joy for Akwa Ibom people for the decision they have taken, adding that they will not regret it. Governor Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum, used the occasion to inform the people that, “President Tinubu is addressing all our national challenges and so needs concentration, not distraction”. He called for national unity and cohesion, asserting that “they are prerequisites as we march towards the nation’s collective goal”.

The President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON who was also a high point of the event, began his remarks with a song. Known for his enigmatic soapbox skills, he said: “I want to speak to the import of today’s occasion”. He then proceeded with some dramatic syntactic parallelisms: “I want to speak. I want to say”, etc. When he launched into the main message, he left the people reeling with many patrotic take aways.

Looking straight at Governor Eno, Akpabio said: “Today is for you, my dear brother Umo Eno, today is for President Tinubu, today is for Akwa Ibom State, today is for Nigeria”. He described Umo Eno’s change of party as a movement, not a defection. He said the event was Akwa Ibom’s unification with Nigeria, recalling that the South-South has always been with the centre. Then he waxed prophetic, saying: “I see you being the first governor to be elected in 2027 and the President getting 99.9 percent of the votes”. Akpabio referred to what is happening in the state as “political maturity.”

The Senate President, who lauded Vice President Shettima as one of the most intelligent Nigerians alive, also praised the National Chairman of APC, Dr Umar Ganduje, for his frankness and political sagacity. He recalled how Ganduje announced in Calabar that the South-South would produce a Senate President at a time when he was not a national chairman. He lauded his fairness and thanked him for providing strong leadership to the party.

Governor Umo Eno’s time to address the gathering was marked with dramatic moments. He was heralded to the podium with a song “Who is your guy” performed by Spyro. The Governor and the people in the crowd gyrated to the song. After the momentous moment, Eno started a worship song, “I am going higher….” to which the crowd joined with enthusiasm. He said he was joining APC as a means of aligning with the centre so that the state can unite the Arise Programme of the State with Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government “to push for a better deal for our people”. He described his joining the APC as a progressive action towards enghlightened state interest. Governor Eno further stated that he was moving to the centre to have the latitude to support the bold and audacious reforms of President Tinubu, pointing out that even though he was not responsible for the squalor that has afflicted the nation, his commitment towards reversing the drift should be supported.

Eno thanked Akwa Ibom people for standing by him, adding that even though he is now firmly in APC, he will be a governor for all.

Going philosophical and spiritual, Governor Eno said: “We are not afraid of the future or the storms ahead. We are bold and courageous for the one before us is able to take us through the storms.” Eno made a passionate plea to the Federal Government to help Akwa Ibom State to realise the dream of Ibom Deep Seaport, noting that the singular action would give adequate justification for the movement that was being celebrated.

The National Chairman of APC, Dr Umar Ganduje, who conducted the official admission of Governor Eno into the APF family, described the mammoth crowd as colourful and jubilant. He added that from the faces of the people in the crowd, it was clear that they were there voluntarily. He thanked the President of the Senate, stating that from the quality of infrastructural facilities like the stadium that he had seen, he could say without any fear of equivocation that Akpabio was a successful governor. Speaking on a lighter note, he said that the stadium where the event held was as beautiful as the wife of the Senate President.

Ganduje, while calling for national continuity, consolidation, and sustainability in governance, announced that the Governor shall be the leader of APC in the state while the Senate President remains a national leader.

President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Shettima, assured Governor Eno of the full support of the Federal Government, assuring that Eno will not regret the decision. He thanked Akwa Ibom people for their pledge to support his Administration.

The colourful event, which has largely been described as a unity rally, seems like a new dawn for Akwa Ibom State.

*Joe Iniodu is a Special Assistant in the Office of the President of the Senate

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BREAKING: Adeyemi, controversial PFIPC boss in police custody, hours after bench warrant!

Published

14 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered issued a bench warrant for the arrest Adeniyi Adeyemi, the controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), is currently in the custody police authorities.

Pictures and videos of embattled PFIPC boss being questioned in what appeared an interrogation session, surfaced on social media on Tuesday evening, with few details still sketchy on whether the police actually hunted him down or he surrendered himself.

Latest information, indicate that he is currently in the custody of the Osun State Police Command, according to a report by Channels Television, who confirmed that he has been taken in.

The order came on the prompting of Wisdom Madaki, the police lawyer after Adeyemi failed to appear in court to take his plea before on an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, which relates to forgery, fraud and impersonation.

The court took the decision despite the spirited efforts by Genesis Francis, Adeyemi’s lawyer to mitigate the situation when he told Umar: “The defendant is afraid for his life. He has to be alive to be able to face trial. They have been looking for him even without an order of court.”

Regardless, the judge, while brushing aside the defence, said he was minded to accede to the application for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against the defendant, noting since case was filed on November 27, 2025, with proceedings not commencing until December 4, 2025, Adeyemi did not appear before the court more than once.

“Since then, he has failed to appear before this court on four consecutive dates,” he said, while mandating security agencies to arrest and produce the embattled PFIPC boss before the court on September 30 for arraignment.

During trial, witnesses including Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President; Paul Emmanuel; Jeremiah Imoukhede; and Ituah Sylvester, are billed to testify for the prosecution alongside the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Akimbo Shola and Adamu Balongu, as well as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The order is coming on the heels of Adeyemi’s outcry that his life was in danger, while debunking the allegation that he was a fugitive running away from the law, saying he would appear in court once he had assurance that he would be protected from those tracking him in attempts to take his life.

A guest of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, Adeyemi, had told his host on Monday: “I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life,” Adeyemi added.

He also maintained his allegation that he paid N400 million through a proxy to President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as DG of the disputed council. I’m ready to show my face. I’m not hiding. I’m only fearing for my life because I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life.”

An interim police investigation report had exposed how the defendant allegedly forged appointment letters and official documents to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency.

Police disclosed that the investigation was initiated after the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on October 17, 2025, over the activities of individuals allegedly forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.

The petition added that preliminary findings showed the forged documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals, and the Nigerian Coat of Arms, and that they were allegedly used to appoint individuals into the non-existent PFIPC.

Adeyemi, who was identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the DG of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.

One of those allegedly linked to the fraud, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, was said to have died in a fire incident at a hotel in Abuja.

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Arrest him now! *Court issues bench warrant on Adeyemi, PFIP boss!

Published

14 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director-General (DG) of an alleged “non-existent,” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Adeyemi, who was identified as the principal suspect, allegedly presented himself as the DG of the council and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja.

One of those allegedly linked to the fraud, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, was said to have died in a fire incident at a hotel in Abuja.

Meanwhile, Adeyemi, who has since denied that the PFIPC was non-existent, demanded an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to probe the controversy surrounding the alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the Council in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was prepared to provide documentary evidence and fully cooperate with investigators once an independent panel was constituted.

He recommended the inclusion of representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions, human rights groups, and diplomatic missions, as well as the ICPC and the EFCC, on the independent investigative panel.

In an open letter to President Tinubu, Adeyemi said he was prepared to provide documentary evidence and fully cooperate with investigators once an independent panel was constituted.

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He must die! *A’Court upholds death sentence of cleric over student’s murder

Published

15 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Abdulrahman Bello, must die for the murder, Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, the Court of Appeal has insisted, rebuffing the attempt of the self-acclaimed Islamic cleric, to upturn the verdict of an Ilorin High Court.

Affirming the earlier death sentence imposed on cleric for the murder of the female student, said to be his lover, on February 10, 2025, at the Olunlade area of Ilorin, which attracted widespread public outrage across Kwara State and beyond, the appellate court said it found no reason to upturn the earlier verdict of the lower court.

Bello, who was one of the five people arraigned on charges bordering on conspiracy, murder, unlawful removal and possession of human parts and blood, also faced a rape charge, of which he was eventually acquitted by the trial court.

Justice Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, who led a three-man panel of the appellate court, while dismissing his appeal, held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he murdered the victim and was unlawfully in possession of human parts.

The appellate court consequently upheld the judgment of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced Bello to death by hanging and imposed an additional 10-year jail term over his conviction for unlawful possession of human parts.

The court held that there was no merit in the appeal and consequently affirmed both the conviction and the sentence imposed by the trial court.

According to the appellate court, the trial court properly evaluated the evidence before it and rightly concluded that the prosecution established the offences beyond reasonable doubt.

The appellate court said it believed the position of Ibrahim Sulyman, Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Issa Zakari, Chief State Counsel, and B.L. Abdulsalam, Assistant Chief State Counsel, who led the prosecution.

Hailing the judgment as another significant milestone in the state’s criminal justice administration, Sulyman, said in a statement: “The judgment underscores the commitment of the Kwara State Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to ensuring that criminal cases are determined strictly in accordance with the law and the evidence presented before the courts.

“It also reaffirms the principle that persons found guilty of grave offences, after a fair trial, will be held accountable under the law. The appellate court’s decision would strengthen public confidence in the justice system.

“The affirmation of the conviction and sentence represents another milestone in the administration of criminal justice and reinforces public confidence in the rule of law and the appellate process. The convict still retains any further rights of appeal available to him under the Constitution and other applicable laws.

Justice Hannah Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court, sitting at Ilorin, hand on July 2025 sentenced Bello to death after finding him guilty of murdering and dismembering Lawal, after describing his act as “the highest degree of human wickedness, and a premeditated and cold-blooded act.”

Dismissing Bello’s claims that he loved the deceased and intended to marry her as merely an afterthought designed to deceive the court, Ajayi, also ruled the convict’s conduct after committing the crime and before his arrest suggested that it might not have been his first involvement in such an act, while a book on money-making charms recovered from his apartment further strengthened the prosecution’s case.

Justice Ajayi further held that the video and written confessional statements obtained by operatives of the Department of State Services and the police were lawfully admitted in evidence, dismissing Bello’s allegation that he was tortured into making the confessions.

While acquitting Bello of the rape charge, the trial court convicted him of murder and unlawful possession of human parts, sentencing him to death by hanging for the murder and imposing a 10-year prison term, with an option of a N100,000 fine, for the human parts offence.

The court also discharged and acquitted the four other defendants in the case — Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman and Abdulrahman Jamiu — after holding that the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the offences.

Reacting to the High Court judgment at the time, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, described the killing as tragic and commended the judiciary for ensuring justice.

“The gruesome murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal was pathetic, unfortunate, regrettable and worrisome,” the monarch said in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Abdulazeez Arowona.

“The judgment has further brightened the hope and trust of the people in the judiciary and security agencies. May Almighty Allah repose the soul of the late Hafsoh Lawal and comfort her family members.”

The monarch also urged parents and guardians to be vigilant and closely monitor the activities and movements of their children and wards to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.