politics
Stop Ethnic, Regional divides and Dirty Politics. No plans to relocate FCT to Lagos, says Onanuga
The Presidency has maintained that there are no plans to move the Federal Capital to Lagos as speculated in some quarters.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, stated this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to Onanuga, those peddling rumour are dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves.
He claimed that those pushing the campaign of falsehood know they are playing politics, albeit dangerous politics to pitch the North against the South.
Onanuga said Abuja has come to stay as it is backed by law.
His statement comes after the recent relocation of FAAN, a department of the Aviation Ministry, to Lagos.
Onanuga said there are many parastatals that are not based in Abuja depending on their mandate, insisting that Administrative decisions should not be politicized.
The statement reads, “President Tinubu has no plan whatsoever to move the Federal Capital to Lagos. The rumour first surfaced during the campaign last year by opponents looking for all manners of weapons to stop him. We trashed it.
“Those peddling it anew are dishonest, ethnic and regional champions, trying to draw attention to themselves. Abuja has come to stay. It is backed by law.
“The movement of FAAN, a department of the Aviation Ministry to Lagos, where it was based before former minister Hadi Sirika moved it to Abuja during the last administration, does not amount to moving the FCT to Lagos.
“The administrative move should have attracted scant attention, as Lagos is the commercial capital and the hub of aviation business in Nigeria. FAAN should be nowhere else but near the industry it regulates. FAAN will still maintain some presence in Abuja, as it is not a wholesale movement.
“Similarly, the movement of some departments of the CBN to Lagos should not trigger any hoopla. The departments concerned, including the bank supervision department, are those dealing with commercial banks, all with headquarters in Lagos. A regulator ought to be close to the businesses it regulates.
“All those pushing this campaign of falsehood know they are playing politics, albeit a dangerous politics to pit the North against the South.
“There are many parastatals that are not based in Abuja depending on their mandate. NIMASA is in Lagos. So is NPA. The National Inland Waterways Authority( NIWA) is in Lokoja, not Abuja. Will the people opposing the movement of FAAN and some CBN departments want those agencies to be in Abuja, where there is no single port and no maritime activity?
“Administrative decisions should not be politicized. Let it not look like whenever we are temporarily not at the helm of affairs, we create all manners of dangerous rumours to distract from the bigger picture and emasculate an administration led by a Southerner.
“Let’s stop the dirty politics. We can’t playing politics with everything.”
Barely 24 hours before the Accord Party’s Osun State 2026 governorship primary scheduled for Wednesday, Governor Ademola Adeleke has officially joined the party.
Newsthumb observed on Tuesday evening that Accord Party flags were hoisted in front of the Osun State Government House, where a meeting with leaders of his former party was ongoing.
Adeleke left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following a leadership crisis within the party.
A top source in his government confirmed to The Nation that “Adeleke is picking his re-election ticket in Accord.
Osun Governor Adeleke quits PDP
Olawale Rasheed, the Governor’s spokesperson, also confirmed the defection.
The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, has resigned.
Confirming his resignation in a WhatsApp message to PUNCH Online on Friday night, Oyebamiji said he stepped down in compliance with the electoral law to enable him to contest the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
He said, “Yes, I have resigned in accordance with the electoral law to pursue my Osun 2026 governorship ambition.”
A source close to the NIWA boss also confirmed the development, noting that the resignation is tied to his political aspirations.
“Yes, he has resigned. He is contesting, and he wants to face the election properly,” the source said.
Before his appointment at NIWA, Oyebamiji served as Osun State Commissioner for Finance for two terms and later as Special Adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
He is also a banker, economist, public administrator and politician
The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has been declared the winner of the Saturday, November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election by the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Edoba Omoregie.
Soludo, who polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeated his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Sir Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.
According to INEC, a total of 16 candidates from various political parties participated in the election.
The state had 2,788,864 registered voters, out of which 598,229 were accredited. A total of 595,298 votes were cast, while 11,244 votes were rejected across the 21 local government areas.
From the results announced, Soludo of APGA won in all 21 local government areas of the state in a landslide victory.
Announcing the results at the INEC headquarters in Awka on Sunday, Omoregie said, “The number of registered voters was 2,788,864, while accredited voters were 598,229. The total valid votes stood at 584,054, rejected votes were 11,244, and the total votes cast amounted to 595,298.”
He added, “After collating the results as tallied into Form EC8E, it is now my privilege to declare the figures each candidate scored according to their political parties.
“There were a few areas affected by incidents, leading to cancellations in some wards across Anambra West, Anaocha, Awka South, and Onitsha South LGAs, amounting to 10,481 affected votes. However, the margin of lead between the top candidates did not affect the overall outcome of the election.
“I, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, Returning Officer for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election, hereby declare that the election was peaceful. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, having scored 422,664 votes — the highest number of valid votes cast and having satisfied the requirements of the law — is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Breakdown of results:
Total registered voters: 2,788,864
Total accredited voters: 598,229
Total valid votes: 584,054
Rejected votes: 11,244
Total votes cast: 595,298
Votes by political parties:
A – 224
AA – 1,145
AAC – 292
ADC – 8,208
APC – 99,445
APGA – 422,664
APM – 892
APP – 73
BP – 126
LP – 10,576
NNPP – 525
NRM – 36
PDP – 1,401
SDP – 241
YPP – 37,753
ZLP – 453
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