The African Democratic Congress has criticised the All Progressives Congress for conducting its national executive committee meeting at the State House in Abuja.

In a Friday statement, Bolaji Abdullahi, interim national publicity secretary of ADC, noted that the State House is neither a party office nor a private residence.

President Bola Tinubu presided over the APC NEC meeting on Thursday at the Banquet Hall of the State House. During the session, the party named Nentawe Yilwatda, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, as its new national chairman.

Yilwatda replaced Abdullahi Ganduje, who stepped down from the position in June.

Abdullahi responded to the appointment by stating that the ADC hopes the “appointment” of Yilwatda “might trigger a shift in tone, temperament, and trajectory for a party that has too often equated governance with propaganda, and power with impunity”.

He also expressed the hope that the APC would demonstrate “greater tolerance” for opposing voices under Yilwatda’s leadership.

He added, “We hope Professor Yilwatda will channel his high education and experience towards improving the democratic credentials of his party and its government, which, so far, has been marked by intolerance and what has often appeared like a deliberate plan to eliminate all opposition parties and foist a one-party rule on the country.”

He said it was concerning that the National Executive Committee meeting “was held within the confines of the State House — a public institution, funded by the Nigerian people, not a party office or private residence.”

He described the APC’s decision to host a party meeting at the seat of government as “an aberration that underlines how far this government has strayed from the foundational norms of democratic accountability.”

He called on the new chairman to ensure the party “respects the line — now dangerously blurred — between party and state.”

Abdullahi also highlighted Yilwatda’s former role as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, saying, “This is no small credential. It comes with a deep understanding of electoral ethics, neutrality, and public trust.”

He continued, “We sincerely hope he will draw on this experience to promote the sanctity of our electoral processes, rather than using insider knowledge to game the system in favour of his party, as has often been the case under the APC’s watch.”

He concluded, “In closing, we pray for Professor Yilwatda that may his tenure be longer than those of his predecessors and his exit more honourable.”

This is not the first time an APC NEC meeting has been hosted at Aso Rock. The ruling party previously held a similar meeting at the presidential villa in 2020.

Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost its structure and may likely end up in fourth place in the 2027 general election.

During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Fayose explained that the opposition party has been weakened by internal strife and the exclusion of its key figures.

“You know the situation of our party today, and it is in my prayer that the PDP does not come fourth in the coming elections,” he said.

“When I came here, I said the party was already going into carcass.

“Pretenders can pretend, but you know that managing the party has become an issue; everybody in that party today is doing to your tent, o Israel.

“Today, I am telling you the PDP will come fourth in the general elections. In most states, they are already compromised.

“They have eased out so many leaders. It’s good for them, but let me remind you, I was part of the G5.”

Fayose added that the PDP has lost much of its strength, pointing to the departure of influential members.

“In the same PDP, the presidential candidate has left, the vice-presidential candidate has left, senators have left, and governors have left,” he said.

He noted that although he was invited to the party’s last national executive committee (NEC) meeting, he stayed away because he felt sidelined.

Fayose also suggested that President Bola Tinubu offers the quickest route for the north to regain power after his tenure.

He referred to a past conversation with the president where Tinubu described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the “shortest political link between the north and the south”.

“I recall he told me that the shortest distance between the north and the south is APC,” Fayose said.

“I could not understand at the time because he told me that after Buhari’s four years, anybody should be able to wait for another four years.

“So, zoning to the south by the PDP is good for them because today Tinubu is the shortest distance for power to return to the north.”

Fayose clarified that he has not left the PDP but remains open to working with any political party.

“This fridge has become empty,” said Ajayi Tawakalt, a mother of four who runs a frozen foods shop in the Odogbonle area of Lagos. Tawakalt is one of several residents enduring more than three months of blackout, with her once-thriving business now on the verge of collapse.

She took out a loan to launch the business, but has begun packing up her appliances due to the ongoing losses. Since the electricity outage began on March 21, 2025, caused by a fault in the community’s transformer, her solar inverter hasn’t been able to power her larger equipment.

“I have stopped this business. Some days, I had to throw away spoiled fish. This power supply issue has really destroyed my business,” she told TheCable.

“Even the availability of water is a problem. We usually use a generator to pump water, and the water will not even last for long before it finishes because our neighbours usually fetch from it.”

Tawakalt is not alone. Other residents and business owners in Odogbonle, located in Eredo Local Council Development Area of Epe, Lagos, have been without electricity for over 120 days due to the broken transformer.

After the transformer failed, community leaders reached out to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company’s Epe office. In April, IKEDC sent a team with a crane to remove the transformer for repair, but residents, fearing a repeat of a past incident, resisted.

In December 2023, IKEDC removed a different faulty transformer from the same community and failed to return it despite multiple follow-ups. The current transformer was donated by Eredo LCDA chairman Monsuru Akinloye and installed on April 4, 2024, following a previous four-month blackout.

Community chairman Onabajo Oriyomi said when residents alerted him that IKEDC personnel had returned with a truck to take the transformer, he contacted the Epe office manager, Victor Uche Amaraegbu, who said he was not willing to discuss the transformer taken in 2023.

Residents then blocked the removal of the current transformer, beginning a prolonged standoff with IKEDC.

Oriyomi said he later tried to meet with Victor for dialogue, but the manager declined to schedule a time. Attempts to meet him in person at the Epe office were unsuccessful.

According to Oriyomi, the resistance from Victor stems from the community’s demand for accountability over the 2023 transformer and their refusal to allow removal of the current one.

In the meantime, businesses and students in the area have been badly affected. Students from the Lagos State University of Education in Epe travel long distances to charge phones, study, and get water.

Olatunbosun Aminat, a 200-level accounting education student, said most students are planning to relocate once school resumes because the lack of electricity is unbearable.

Toyosi Akinlade, a laundry business owner, now spends around ₦90,000 weekly on diesel to power his generator. Meeting customer demands has become nearly impossible due to delays and rainy weather.

Fashion designer Adetunji Motunrayo has had to revert to manual machines, abandoning electric ones. The community’s only hospital, a private facility, now relies on solar and a generator, which often fail to meet medical equipment needs. Medical officer Wahab Suleimon said they sometimes refer patients elsewhere due to power issues.

Community leaders said they sent letters to IKEDC offices in Ikorodu and Epe, and to the Lagos State House of Assembly, demanding repairs to the faulty transformer and the return of the previous one. Frustrated, they also contacted IKEDC headquarters by email.

Despite the lack of power since March 21, many residents without prepaid meters still received bills for March and April. The community wrote to IKEDC requesting suspension of billing until electricity is restored.

Responding to TheCable, Amaraegbu denied avoiding community leaders and said he manages three offices, which might cause delays in availability. He said meetings can happen if scheduled properly.

When asked about the 2023 transformer, Amaraegbu denied telling the community to forget about it and said he would check the IKEDC store for it. He plans to provide an update when he meets the leaders and discuss the next steps.

Credit: The Cable