A fresh row is brewing within the camps of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Sources who spoke to Punch disclosed that the rift stems from unresolved aspects of the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu several months ago.
The disagreement reportedly centres on the composition of a new cabinet.
Tinubu had brokered a peace deal between Fubara and Wike following a prolonged political crisis that escalated into a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State.
However, several months after the truce, findings showed that the political rift between the two camps has shown little sign of abating, as the underlying issues fuelling the crisis remain unresolved.
Following his reinstatement in September, Fubara retained eight commissioners who were unaffected by the Supreme Court judgment recognising Martins Amaewhule as the authentic Speaker of the Assembly
He had earlier dissolved his cabinet after the expiration of the emergency rule, paving the way for a fresh executive council.
Findings showed that despite several meetings between the governor and lawmakers, no consensus has been reached on the list of commissioner nominees.
According to insiders, the lawmakers plan to reject any commissioner nominee who does not align with the Wike camp, in a bid to retain influence over the state’s political structure.
A top Peoples Democratic Party official told the aforementioned publication that the FCT minister was seeking to exert control over a significant portion of the cabinet.
He alleged that the minister was demanding up to 12 commissioners.
“If you want 12 commissioners, what will the governor have left?
“Asking for three, four or even five commissioners is understandable, but 12 is excessive, particularly after taking over all 23 Local Government Areas. Commissioners are people a governor works closely with, and he must be comfortable with those appointments,” the source said.
However, another PDP stakeholder and strong ally of the FCT minister, Chimelem Wodi, dismissed the claim, describing it as the handiwork of political jobbers spreading false information to remain relevant.
Wodi, who is the legal adviser to the Federal Commissioner to the President on Christian Pilgrimage, South-South zone, said Wike was “bigger than that.”
He said the former Rivers State governor had achieved almost everything in politics, as a former local government chairman, former National Chairman of ALGON, former governor and now minister, to be seeking commissioner slots.
The PDP stakeholder said the governor had refused to accept the reality of having a political godfather, insisting that the Rivers political issue had been settled by the President.
According to him, those pushing the narrative were political jobbers who resurfaced after months of irrelevance following the state of emergency.
He maintained that if such demands existed, they would have been made known to stakeholders, adding that Wike was not known for hiding agreements.
Wodi said the rumours were capable of heating up the polity, stressing that the FCT minister had remained silent because the matter had already been resolved.
“This is not what the FCT minister is known for,” he added.
A former Speaker of the Osun State Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam, on Monday emerged as the African Democratic Congress candidate for the 2026 Osun governorship election.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Salaam secured the ADC ticket following the party’s primary held at the Ultimate Civic Centre in Osogbo.
Addressing party delegates before the exercise, the Chairman of the ADC 2026 Primary Election Committee, Mr Emeka Nwajiuba, said Salaam was the sole aspirant for the office.
“The list and information from the ADC Organizing Secretary’s Office, as well as the screening exercise conducted, indicate that Salaam is the only aspirant vying for the party’s ticket,” he said.
The 528 ADC delegates from across the 332 wards of the state then lined up to cast their votes.
Announcing the results, Nwajiuba said a total of 528 votes were cast, of which 520 were valid votes for Najeem Salaam while eight were voided.
“By the power conferred on this panel by the constitution of the ADC, I, Emeka Nwajiuba, Chairman of the panel, announce the candidate-elect and flag bearer of our party for the Osun governorship election 2026: Najeem Salaam,” he said.
In his acceptance speech, Salaam thanked members and leadership of the ADC for their confidence and the mandate entrusted to him.
“I accept this mandate as the gubernatorial candidate of the ADC with a deep sense of responsibility.
“I accept it with hope because our people still believe. I accept it with prayer because the challenges ahead are real,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced online accreditation for journalists and media organisations that intend to cover the 2026 Federal Capital Territory Area Council Election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
In a notice released on Monday, the commission announced that the accreditation exercise is open to interested media organisations seeking to deploy journalists for election coverage.
According to the commission, “INEC has commenced online accreditation for journalists and media organisations intending to cover the FCT Area Council Election scheduled to hold on Saturday, 21st February, 2026.”
INEC stated that applications must be submitted through its official media accreditation portal at https://imap.inecnigeria.org
The announcement disclosed that it will be opened today, December 15, 2025, and will close on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
The commission stressed that applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered, noting that “Late submission shall not be entertaine
d as the portal will automatically shut down at midnight 12:00am (Midnight) on Sunday, 8th February, 2026.”
INEC further warned that “There will be no extension of time.”
INEC advised media organisations requiring further information on the accreditation process to contact the commission via the designated phone numbers, 07088844564 or 08032861058.
Candidates from 17 political parties are vying for 68 seats in the 2026 Area Council election. The figure, which includes six chairmanship and 62 councillorship positions across the six area councils- Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abaji.
Campaign activities are currently ongoing.
Prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and PDP elder statesman Bode George, on Sunday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately undermining opposition parties ahead of future elections.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, also signed by ADC National Chairman David Mark, former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, and Lawal Batagawara, the opposition called for an independent audit of federal, state, and local government accounts from 2015 to 2025, alleging that state authority is being weaponized against political opponents rather than used to combat economic crimes.
The statement follows a wave of defections by governors, National Assembly members, and other influential figures to the ruling APC, including the recent defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from the PDP.
The opposition claimed that major national institutions—including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria Police, and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission—are increasingly being used as instruments of political intimidation, selectively enforcing justice against opposition figures while shielding ruling party members.
“Across our nation, state power is being deployed not for the prevention of economic crimes, but for the persecution of perceived political adversaries, with the ultimate aim of weakening opposition voices and dismantling Nigeria’s multiparty democracy,” the statement said.
The leaders alleged a covert agenda to bring all state governments under APC control, using anti-corruption agencies to intimidate opposition governors into defection. They warned that this pattern, if unchecked, threatens Nigeria’s democratic stability. “Recent defections reinforce public suspicion that political pressure, rather than ideological or personal persuasion, is driving this realignment,” the statement added, highlighting a broader project targeting key opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general election.
They also criticised the EFCC’s selective prosecution pattern, citing comments by former APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole that “once you have joined APC, all your sins are forgiven,” as symbolic of the administration’s approach.
The opposition proposed embedding anti-corruption operatives in government payment processes and creating an independent review body with full access to public accounts to expose selective prosecutions and strengthen the EFCC.
The ADC Kebbi State chapter criticised the EFCC for the detention of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), describing it as unconstitutional and politically motivated. Malami, through his spokesperson Mohammed Bello Doka, denied allegations linking him to terrorism financing or operating 46 bank accounts, describing them as “false, baseless, and part of a coordinated media trial.”
In response, the Presidency on Sunday rejected claims that President Tinubu is weaponising the EFCC, describing the opposition’s attacks as “scapegoating by a dying political party” and “failed aspirants regrouping on an unstable platform.”
In a statement signed by Special Adviser on Information & Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency accused critics of seeking “cheap political gains” by alleging a threat to multi-party democracy because politicians are freely joining the APC.
“They alleged a threat to multi-party democracy because many top politicians are joining the governing APC of their own free will,” Onanuga said. Citing constitutional guarantees of freedom of association, the Presidency insisted that defections were voluntary and motivated by “noticeable gains” from Tinubu’s reform programme, not coercion.
Onanuga reaffirmed the EFCC’s independence, stating that the commission investigates and prosecutes financial crimes irrespective of political affiliation or personality, and that prosecutions are determined by the courts, not the Presidency.
“The EFCC is an independent institution established by law and empowered to carry out its statutory responsibilities without interference or favour,” he said. “Those who have cases to answer should be bold enough to defend themselves if they are clean. No one is above the law. Everyone must be accountable for their actions, both in and out of office.”
The Presidency also argued that some opposition figures had previously been investigated or prosecuted before Tinubu took office in 2023, and some had faced foreign money-laundering probes. Onanuga suggested that their criticism reflects mounting pressure: “Are they now signing statements because their chickens are coming home to roost?”
Warning against undermining national institutions, the Presidency urged critics to stop “weaponising politics to escape accountability,” stressing that the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility and must not be trivialised by “baseless, jaundiced or politicised narratives.”
The dispute underscores growing tensions between the Presidency and opposition over perceived politicisation of anti-corruption agencies, with both sides framing the controversy as central to the future of Nigeria’s democracy. At the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not officially responded to the allegations.
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