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APC support groups back Oyegun over tenure elongation
A coalition of All Progressives Congress (APC) support groups has expressed support for elongation of the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The groups, in a position paper made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja, said they had watched with keen interest developments that followed the 5th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and the sudden change of stance by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The paper was co-signed by Prince Danisi Momoh, Convener, APC Youth Solidarity Network, Comrade Japhet Echegwo, Coordinator Grassroots Mobilisation for Buhari/Osinbajo 2019, Comr Kede Michael South-South Youth Movement for Change, Amb Tega Okokoyoko, Director-General, Buhari Supporters for Change, Ibrahim Yusman, APC North Central Buhari/Osinbajo Support Group.
Others are Lanre Jimiloyi, Oduduwa for Change movement, Dipreye Victor, APC Ambassadors for Continuity, Comrade Champion Eyigie, Director-General, APC Advocacy for Transparency and Good Governance and Mrs Elizabeth Omokoro, Chairperson, Women for Change network.
Buhari had recently directed that tenure elongation of APC’s National Chairman, Odigie-Oyegun and other National and State Executive Officers of the party be reversed.
He described the elongation of their tenure by one year as unconstitutional.
Buhari had told the NEC meeting of the party that he had reflected on the elongation and also sought advice and had come to the conclusion that it was unconstitutional.
However, the coalition said that it was worried over Buhari’s sudden opposition to the 12-months tenure extension for party executives voted on and approved by NEC–104 in support and four against.
“Hence, we are of the firm position that although the president is entitled to take a personal position as a member of NEC, the president’s decision is ill-advised and politically counter-productive.
“Following NEC’s decision to setup a technical committee to advise the party on the President’s decision, we call on the committee to note the logistical and political exigencies that informed NEC’s decision to extend the tenure of Party Executives by 12 months and also be guided by the following facts before arriving at its decisions.
“Coupled with the crisis the Party is battling with in many states and many important activities of the Party this year and the available time, NEC found it unwise to embark on a wholesale replacement of the executive cadre of the Party at all levels at a time so close to the general election.
“For clarity, NEC, unarguably the second most powerful party organ is a hybrid of senior party leaders composed of the President, Vice President, Governors, National Assembly leadership, National Working Committee, State Chairmen and ex-officio members from the six geo-political zones of the country.”
The coalition said that procedurally, a move to reverse NEC’s decision could only be done if NEC reversed itself or the Party’s convention voted to nullify it.
The coalition said that a reversal could not be effected by a personal position taken by the president or any other NEC member, as being suggested in some quarters particularly the media.
The groups appealed to Buhari to look at the issues critically and prevent further crisis by not pleasing any powerful individual or group that might want to hijack the party’s hierarchy. (NAN)
News
France Urged to Address Colonial Legacy as Senegalese Activists Call for Reparations in Dakar Roundtable
Reporter: Sandra Ani
France’s colonial legacy came under renewed scrutiny as journalists, historians, and pan-African activists gathered at African Memorial Square in Dakar for a powerful roundtable advocating reparations and economic justice.
The event highlighted growing demands for France to take full responsibility for its historical role in Senegal and across West Africa.
Organized by advocacy groups including the Association of Descendants of Senegalese Soldiers, the Front for the Withdrawal of French Military Bases (GASSI), and JIF’AFRIK, the roundtable brought together influential voices pushing for reparatory justice and structural transformation.
Among the key speakers were Babacar Dioh of the Thiaroye 44 Movement—a coalition of descendants of Senegalese tirailleurs—and Souleymane Jules Diallo, leader of JIF’AFRIK. Discussions centered on two central demands: official reparations for colonial-era injustices and the urgent renegotiation of trade and military agreements that activists say perpetuate economic dependence.
“The time for symbolic gestures is over,” said Dioh. “We are now filing an official reparations claim and taking concrete steps to hold France accountable.”
Speakers called for the dismantling of existing neocolonial frameworks, stressing the ecological, financial, and social harm that has endured beyond the colonial period. The roundtable marks a turning point in Dakar’s positioning as a hub for coordinated African-led advocacy aimed at restoring historical justice.
This event adds momentum to a growing continental movement seeking tangible reparative action from former colonial powers and reinforces the call for equity, autonomy, and acknowledgment of historical truths.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
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