Former Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Viviour, has announced his intention to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stating that no act of intimidation will stop his declaration.

GRV made this announcement on his X page on Friday, a day before his official unveiling.

He said,  “I will be declaring for the ADC coalition tomorrow. No amount of police intimidation, sealed venues, or harassment will stop this historic event. Lagos belongs to the people, and we will not be silenced.”

The announcement of his defection came shortly after police operatives sealed off Lion Field in Alimosho, Lagos, a venue that had been earlier approved for the ADC to host a political meeting. 

Rhodes-Vivour described the police action as “an assault on democracy” and accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of abusing state power. “It is truly disappointing that the Lagos APC is abusing state institutions by sealing off the venue where the ADC was scheduled to hold a meeting tomorrow after obtaining the necessary approvals,” he said, stressing that Lagos “belongs to all its residents, not a select few.”

The sealing of the ADC venue follows reports of repeated disruptions of the coalition’s activities in Lagos, including alleged assaults on members and interference with political gatherings. Darelasisionline.com reports that similar attacks happened in Kaduna, where thugs unleashed mayhem on ADC members.

Popular lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju has advised the former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to retire from politics if he is scared of criticism. Adeyanju made this statement on Friday while featuring on Morning Brief on Channels Television. 

Darelasisisonline.com reports that Mr. Obi had threatened to drag Adeyanju to court and issued a seven-day ultimatum to delete his defamatory posts on social media and issue a public apology.

Adeyanju has been highly critical of Obi and the Obedients movement, especially on social media, where he describes them as extremists who should never be allowed near the corridors of power.

The human rights advocate said that if the former Anambra governor and his Obedient movement feel too big to be criticised and insulted, they should stay clear of politics.

He said, “If Peter Obi doesn’t want to be criticised, he should go back to his house and eat jollof rice. Anyone who puts themselves in public office must be criticised, scrutinised, and insulted.” 

Adeyanju also cited instances where Obedient movement called President Tinubu a drug baron, Atiku a looter and Supreme Court judges corrupt, yet feels Obi is too immune to be criticised. He also likened the Obidient movement to the followers of the late President Buhari, popularly called the Buharists, who resisted every move to analyse his policies or criticise him.

Adeyanju also slammed Obi for allegedly calling the election a “religious war” in his leaked call with Bishop Oyedepo. He noted that everything he has said is known to the Nigerian populace, describing Obi as a “religious bigot.” Recall that Obi had threatened to sue the Peoples Gazette for releasing the viral tape in 2023, but has since ignored the issue.

The lawyer also called the former Anambra governor a “political prostitute,” challenging him to add his latest accusation to the suit against him.

Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has condemned the decision of the Tinubu-led administration to construct one bus terminal in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country. 

Obi, in a message, described the decision to use N142 billion for the project as a misplaced priority. He added that the decision further confirmed President Tinubu’s “lack of competence, lack of focus and poor leadership.”

The former Anambra Governor cited the 2024 budget, which the country is currently using, stressing that the entire budget of all teaching hospitals across all the federal universities in the country, including the federal psychiatric centres, is not up to 100 billion naira. 

He said, 

“In the 2024 budget, which is the operational budget today, the entire budget of all the teaching hospitals across all the federal universities in the country, as well as the federal psychiatric centres, is under ₦100 billion, yet the government has approved ₦142 billion for bus terminals.”

“This is disturbing, considering that Health is one of the most critical areas of development, which is deteriorating and remains grossly underfunded. WHO recently reported that over 20 million Nigerians are living with mental health issues. This is not only a misplaced priority but a tragic irony of our country. This is not governance,” he added.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai responded to a troll on X last night who left an unflattering comment on his X handle. 

The X user claimed that, given the recent political developments surrounding El-Rufai, his political career was finished. 

The Lagos Voice reports that El-Rufai has been highly critical of President Tinubu’s administration after he failed the Ministerial Senate screening following an alleged security report.

El-rufai defected to the SDP from the ruling APC, and now he is currently in the ADC. He was subsequently expelled by the SDP and banned for 30 years. 

He has since joined a group of politicians working as the coalition members to dislodge Tinubu from the seat of power in 2027 elections.

The X user, @Archimeokey wrote:

“El-Rufai is gone He is finished politically He now hides behind other people’s ink to write and their mouth to talk The big mouthed Elrufail can’t talk anymore”

El-Rufai noticed the comment and gave a quick challenge to the X user, promising to speak when the time comes. He also challenged the X user to save the tweet and check back in 2027. He noted that when the time comes for him to speak, the user will regret his words.

Elrufai wrote: 

“In your dreams…….when the time comes for me to speak, you will eat your words…..save this tweet, and check on 1st March, 2027 in sha Allah.”

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has declared support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

The Party’s Chairman in the state, Abayomi Tella, disclosed this while speaking at the inauguration of the campaign council and official campaign flag-off for the House of Representatives, Remo Federal Constituency bye-election of Hon. Bolarinwa Oluwole.

Tella revealed that the party has thrown its weight behind President Tinubu for the 2027 elections for the betterment of the Southwest and Nigeria at large. He said that Tinubu is not unbiased and will never support the act of rigging and snatching ballot boxes during elections.

He also called on PDP members to come out in their numbers to vote for the PDP and be ready to defend their votes.

The Lagos Voice reports that a similar situation occurred in Osun state some weeks ago after Governor Adeleke and the PDP structure endorsed President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.

Adetayo Omotoyosi

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a warning, stating there will be “serious consequences” if tech billionaire Elon Musk supports Democratic candidates running against Republicans who back the GOP’s comprehensive budget bill.

“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview, but declined to share what those consequences would be.

“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” he added.

The president also said he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk after a feud between the two men erupted into public view earlier this week.

“No,” Trump said when asked if he had any wish to do so.

Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, “I would assume so, yeah.”

He added that he thought the Republican Party was more unified than ever after the two men fell out in front of the world.

Trump said he has no plans to speak with Musk anytime soon.

“I’m too busy doing other things,” he said, adding, “I have no intention of speaking to him.”

Trump also accused Musk of being “disrespectful to the office of the President.”

“I think it’s a very bad thing, because he’s very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,” he added.

Musk on Thursday launched a barrage of posts on X against the president, including a now-deleted post highlighting the onetime links between the president and the late s£x offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“That’s called ‘old news,’ that’s been old news, that has been talked about for years,” Trump said on Saturday. “Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It’s old news.

In the days leading up to their public falling out, Musk had been critical of a GOP-led spending bill that the House passed last month.

In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump responded to Musk’s criticisms, telling reporters, “I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”

Shortly after those comments, Musk launched several social media attacks, including a now-deleted post promoting a call for Trump to be impeached and another where he said the president’s tariff agenda would cause a recession later this year.

Trump on Thursday also responded with his own posts on Truth Social. In one post, he wrote, “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,” suggesting that Musk knew what was in the bill before it was passed.

He also wrote on Thursday, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” referring to federal contracts with SpaceX. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

On Saturday,  June 7, Trump said he hadn’t given his suggestion about canceling Musk’s companies’ federal contracts any more thought.

“I’d be allowed to do that,” he said, “but I have, I haven’t given it any thought.”

Trump also responded to calls from outside allies, like conservative activist Steve Bannon, who have said that Musk’s business dealings and immigration record should be investigated by the federal government.

The president told NBC News that he hasn’t had those conversations.

“I mean it’s not something that’s on top of my mind right now,” Trump said.

He also cast doubt on the notion that Musk’s opposition to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is jeopardizing the bill’s chances of success, saying he’s “very confident” that the bill will pass the Senate before July 4.

“The Republican Party has never been united like this before. It’s never been. It’s actually more so than it was three days ago,” Trump said.

She spoke while receiving her award at the 2025 BET Awards.

Accepting the award for Best Female Hip Hop Artist on Monday night, the Top Dawg Entertainment artist criticized what she called “Trump’s ruthless attacks” and condemned the government for disguising aggressive actions as efforts to maintain “law and order.”

The ceremony took place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles just hours after violent clashes erupted between protesters and police nearby, events Doechii acknowledged in her acceptance speech. She emphasized the urgency of the moment, refusing to ignore the unrest unfolding outside.

Doechii closed her speech by standing in solidarity with Black, Latino, trans communities, and people in Gaza, calling for a world where everyone can live without fear. It was her first time attending the BET Awards, and her impassioned remarks ensured her speech, and the political tension behind it, will be remembered alongside the night’s celebrations.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy on Sunday, reacted to Atiku’s statement, saying if he had won he would have plunged Nigeria into economic quagmire than it is today.

Recall that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, Atiku had reeled out a number of measures he would have adopted to salvage the Nigerian economy.

Onanuga accused Abubakar of trying to discredit President Tinubu’s economic reform programmes while pushing his untested agenda as a better alternative.

According to the presidential media aide Atiku’s ideas lacked details and were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.

“If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.

“Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends. Nigerians have not forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by Atiku’s antecedents when he ran the economy in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government between 1999 and 2003,” Onanuga stated.

Criticising Atiku further, Onanuga said the PDP candidate then supervised a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system, and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder.

He said:

“Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.

“Despite the futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement, it is gratifying that the former Vice President could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.

“His advocacy for a gradualist approach only showed that he was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.

“It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser.

“President Tinubu met a country facing several grave challenges. Fuel subsidies were siphoning away enormous resources we could ill afford, and there was criminal arbitrage in the forex market.

“No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically.

“While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity.

“Alhaji Abubakar calls for empathy and a human face to reforms. We have no problem with this as it resonates well with our administration’s focus. President Tinubu has consistently emphasised the need for compassion and protection of the most vulnerable.

“The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions.”

Obaseki, whose second and last tenure would expire on Nov. 11,expressed the optimism in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

Speaking on concerns about continuity of some of his reforms after his administration, Obaseki said that his government had made efforts to institutionalise some of them.

Obaseki said: “The people are very aware of our reforms and legacies we are leaving behind. I don’t think because there is a change in government, they will change some of these reforms.

“Even if the government this is coming doesn’t support or encourage them as we used to, they (reforms) will not disappear.

“Beyond this, in the reforms we have undertaken, we have institutionalised or started the process of institutionalising some of them.

“The people know, and I doubt if they will keep quiet for long, allowing things to go back to what it used to be without complaining or shouting.

“I’m optimistic that they (reforms ) will last,” he said

He said that workers and parents, whose children were enjoying EdoBEST e-learning education and other initiatives, would not allow the incoming All Progressives Congress -led administration to tamper with them.

He said that his administration had restored respect to civil service, revolutionalised education,improved electricity, internet connectivity and road infrastructure ,among others.

According to him, the role of government is to provide infrastructure and to create an enabling environment for citizens to do what they need to do.

“What are the critical infrastructures we need today? Fundamentally, in Nigeria, people need electricity, connectivity, and roads,” he said.

The governor said that with robust partnership with the private sector, the state government had succeeded in encouraging electricity generation by attracting firms like Azura and Ossiomo Power.

He said that this was to create the state- own electricity markets and to encourage investments in distribution of power within the state.

Obaseki said that his administration had ensured stable electricity to power public institutions and infrastructure in metropolitan Benin city.

“We are lucky in a way in Edo, because of our location, we are a core, a hub for electricity.

“Edo is the cheapest point to generate electricity because it costs about a million dollars for a kilometer of gas pipeline.

“And it also costs about a million dollars for a kilometer of transmission. Edo is that point where electricity transmission meets gas transmission.

“So, if you generate electricity in Edo today, you can upload and sell it into the grid.

“Edo also has the largest onshore reserves of gas. Most of our gas is either deep offshore or in the swamp,” he said.

According to him, Edo remains one of the few states that can have their own electricity market.

Obaseki said that his administration also prioritised fibre optics infrastructure for connectivity across the 18 Local Government Areas in the state.

He said: “In today’s world, without connectivity no country is going anywhere in the world. So, we have also invested heavily in this to give access.

“We built networks across all the 18 local governments in the state.”

The News Agency of Nigeria NAN (NAN) reports that Obaseki will hand over to Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following his victory in the Sept. 21 governorship election in the state. (NAN).

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has requested the Nigerian Senate to confirm the appointment of seven new ministerial nominees. Darelasisisonline.com that this was made known on Thursday by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

He disclosed this when he read a letter from President Tinubu that contained the request.

President Tinubu, who requested expeditious consideration of the requests, urged the Senate to consider and confirm the seven nominees for appointment as ministers.

Akpabio referred the nominees to the Committee of the Whole for further legislative action as soon as possible

Recall that the president fired five ministers and appointed seven new ones in a cabinet shakeup on Wednesday.

The seven new Ministers-designate to be cleared by the Senate include: Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu as the Minister of State Foreign Affairs; Nentawe Yilwatda as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Maigari Dingyadi as the Minister of Labour and Employment; Jumoke Oduwole as the Minister of Industry; Idi Maiha as Minister for the newly created Livestock Development Ministry; Yusuf Ata as the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State Education.