After multiple failed bids to rejoin, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan participated in Tuesday’s Senate proceedings, ending her six-month exclusion.

Her suspension in March stemmed from claims of breaching Senate protocols, drawing varied responses.

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Advocacy groups and rival politicians decried the move, while the Senate upheld it.

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The PDP member sought judicial review in July and tried resuming without success.

With the case ongoing, she completed her penalty in September and signaled her plan to resume duties.

She notified the Senate of her intent, but officials noted they would wait for court resolution before acting.

On September 23, after half a year sealed, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s workspace was unlocked, allowing her entry.

She accessed Suite 2.05 in the Senate Wing, opened by Deputy Director Alabi Adedeji of the Sergeant-at-Arms.

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“For me, I am glad to be here,” she said in her office for the first time in six months.

“Even though we had been illegally suspended, no day have I hesitated in effectively carrying out my duties as the senator of Kogi Central to the very best of my capacity,” she said.

Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, asserted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) aims to oust the Labour Party’s control in Abia State by the 2027 elections.

Kalu shared this prediction while addressing more than 27 supporter organizations linked to his Ben Kalu Foundation, such as the President’s Renewed Hope Initiative, Renewed Hope Partners, and the Ben Kalu Movement.

He explained that the APC is gaining significant traction to regain the state from Governor Alex Otti’s Labour Party administration.

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“We have come to take over, and there is no going back because we want to work with the President to move our state forward,” Kalu said.

Kalu commended President Bola Tinubu’s policy changes, especially the elimination of the fuel subsidy, calling it a “miracle decision” that has boosted funding for state-level governments. “The miracle worker is the President who releases money to the states… He did not keep it in his pocket but released it to the states,” the lawmaker added.

As the representative for Bende Federal Constituency, Kalu faulted Governor Otti’s governance, noting that Abia’s current allocations surpass those handled by previous leaders.

“You cannot be getting the kind of money you are getting and be doing the job that former governors did with less. Former governors got about N4 billion to N5 billion, and today Tinubu has released N38 billion to N40 billion,” he said.

Kalu promised that the APC would secure the state via electoral processes, without any forceful methods. “We are not going to take over this state by force. We are going to use the vote of the masses,” he stated.

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He also revealed that President Tinubu committed to developing a seaport initiative for Abia and would make a visit upon request.

Additionally, Kalu encouraged his backers to obtain their voter registration cards and APC membership documents ahead of the 2027 polls.

Pastor Tunde Bakare, founder of Citadel Global Community Church, revealed that influential political actors are pushing him to affiliate with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

During his address on Saturday at the inaugural Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series, themed ‘Nigeria at 65: Historical Reflections, Futuristic Projection,’ held in Oregun, Lagos, Bakare firmly rejected any involvement with the party.

He explained that prominent individuals, such as a former South-West governor and a minister, had personally encouraged him to support the ADC.

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“There has been a lot of pressure on me from who is who to join ADC. They come to my home. Even while I was abroad, the hierarchy of that party kept calling, saying they needed my voice,” Bakare said.

He mentioned that a younger ally, who had gained significant positions within the All Progressives Congress (APC), also pressed him to extend his support to the ADC.

Bakare turned down the proposal, stating, “I am not going to take part in ADC. The last time I knew about ADC was about a plane that crashed. I wish them well, because we need a robust opposition. But you don’t birth a child called APC and then try to kill it yourself. We are not going to have another Awolowo–Akintola crisis in the South-West,” he stated.

As a key figure in establishing the APC, the pastor affirmed that President Bola Tinubu’s rise to power was guided by higher forces.

“If God wants to remove ‘emilokan,’ He knows how to do it. You can’t get the kind of thing Tinubu has brought without God’s support,” he added.

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At the same gathering, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, a former Nigerian envoy to Germany and the featured speaker, highlighted corruption and ethnic divisions as the nation’s most pressing issues.

He contended that a leader’s background is irrelevant if effective administration yields positive outcomes.

“The two problems our country faces are corruption and tribalism. If there is a way of eradicating these two evils, we will be alright. Corruption is the father or mother of tribalism. If the money being stolen was available for development, Nigeria would be far better.

“The fact that Tinubu is president does not automatically improve the life of an average Yoruba man, just as an Igbo presidency will not improve the life of the ordinary Igbo man if there is no development.”

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