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Police Take Over APC Secretariat, As Pro, Anti-Oshiomhole Protesters Clash
No fewer than four Hilux patrol vehicles, loaded with battle-ready, mobile and regular policemen on Thursday stormed the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to forestall the deteriorating security situation at the area.
The policemen, who strategically positioned themselves outside the complex were mobilised to the headquarters around 11am, to fortify and complement the internal regular security details almost subdued by the anti-Oshiomhole protesters that grounded activities at the complex, yesterday morning.
The arrival of the detachment of the regular and mobile policemen had forestalled a bloody clash of the pro and anti-protesters against the National Chairman of the ruling party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The situation almost degenerated into a bloody clash when stern-looking bouncers numbering over eight men dressed in black jeans and t-shirts, arrived at the secretariat and chased out the anti-Oshiomhole protesters.
The protesters, who arrived at Blantyre Street, housing the party secretariat, at different times, had engaged themselves over who has the right to display placards.
Obvious to the anti protesters, comprising young men, women and the aged, that the regular security details manning the secretariat could not guarantee their safety, they hurriedly dispersed, scampering for safety to avoid the anger of the pro and furious-looking bouncers.
To arrest the situation, the regular security detail at the APC secretariat had to send signals to the divisional police headquarters in charge of the area which wasted no time in deploying personnel to beef up security at the complex.
Although neither the security agents nor the protesters was able to address newsmen, a police officer who spoke in confidence said that they saw the pro and anti-protesters hauling weapons at each other, noting that they tried to calm down the situation.
Lamentably, the protests for the removal of the embattled party’s national chairman had continued since last week, resulting in members of the National Working Committee (NWC) avoiding the secretariat for fear of their lives.
The anti-Oshiomhole protesters that have consistently disrupted activities at the secretariat insisted on his removal, accusing him of demarketing their party.
The group that gave its name as APC Members Coalition Movement, threatened to continue the protest until Oshiomhole was removed.
One of its leaders, Umar Mohammed Musa said: “We are here to express our feelings, to show or tell the whole world that we are not happy with what is happening in our party.
“The leadership of this party is getting out of hand and that is why we are here to tell our leaders that Oshiomhole must go; we insist that Oshiomhole must leave.
“When you look at the situation of our party and what has happened at the last primaries in 2019 general elections, you will agree with me that we have no leader.
“Since Oshiomhole came on board, there has been no progress in the party; there is no development, no achievement or tangible thing to show you that there is a good example of leadership in the party. So, that is why we say Oshiomhole must go.
“Even in FCT, his leadership led to loss of lives. It was also same in Zamfara, Bayelsa, etc. Look at what happened recently in Bayelsa State; so we are asking what is going on? We have noticed that Adams Oshiomhole is an agent who has come to destabilise our party. He is an agent that wants to see how this party would collapse and would not win election in 2023,” the group alleged.
Dismissing the claim that Oshiomhole won the presidential election for APC, the group’s spokesperson said, “This party won the presidential election because of the helping hands of Nigerians and not because of the leadership of Oshiomhole.
“The party members and the citizens of this country have the love for President Buhari. When you look at it very well many of our members who could have won election for us lost the primaries because of the selfish interest of Oshiomhole.”
While also condemning Oshiomhole’s leadership style, another speaker, Comrade Zata Nehemaih said: “l want to tell you that since he came in, there have been factions in all the states.
“I want to tell you that Oshiomhole has no interest of the party. He is here to destroy APC; he is like a PDP mole. If you look at the last election, APC lost Zamfara, Bauchi, Imo, Adamawa, Taraba, Bayelsa and so many other states because of Oshiomhole.
“Instead of him to add more states, we lost states. If they allow Oshiomhole to continue till 2023, l want to assure you that APC will lose the presidency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the deputy youth leader APC FCT, Idris Umar Faruk, has while defending Oshiomhole, claimed that those protesting against him were not members of APC.
President Bola Tinubu yesterday departed Abuja for Makkah in Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah (lesser Hajj), an Islamic spiritual exercise involving a pilgrimage to the holy city.
The Airbus A330-200 carrying the president took off at 2:20 pm local time, yesterday.
Tinubu was seen off at the airport by the Governors of Kwara, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Borno, Babagana Zulum; Kaduna, Uba Sani; Sokoto, Ahmad Aliyu; Jigawa, Umar Namadi; and Yobe, Mai Mala Buni.
Also present were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico, Reno Omokri, alongside other government officials.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had revealed this in a statement signed Wednesday titled ‘President Tinubu departs Abuja for Makkah to pray for the nation.’
According to the statement, the visit will afford the President an opportunity for spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability, and continued progress.
“While in Makkah, President Tinubu will perform the religious rites associated with Umrah, seeking Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people,” the statement said.
Before departing Abuja, Tinubu commissioned some equipment acquired by the Nigerian Air Force for its operations at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The President is expected to return to the country next week after completing the spiritual exercise.
Thursday’s visit to Makkah marks the second time Tinubu is performing Umrah since assuming office.
The President had previously visited the holy city in November 2023, shortly after the Saudi-African Summit held in Riyadh, where he also prayed for divine guidance in leading Nigeria.
The trip to Saudi Arabia is the latest in a series of foreign engagements by the President since he was sworn in on May 29, 2023.
Tinubu has visited more than 30 countries in over 50 unique and recurrent trips.
They include countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East, including France, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, India, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Senegal, and several others, on a combination of bilateral, multilateral, and diplomatic assignments.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has unveiled PenCare, a national healthcare initiative designed to provide free medical services to pensioners, beginning with low-income retirees.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, at the opening of the National Pension Week in Abuja, yesterday, said the initiative formed part of his administration’s welfare package for senior citizens.
PenCare is designed as a national retiree well-being programme aimed at improving access to essential healthcare, particularly for pensioners with limited financial resources.
In his address, themed “Pensions for All: Building a Secure Future Together,” the President said a strong pension system was both a social protection necessity and a pillar of economic transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said the pension system could also mobilise long-term domestic savings, deepen financial markets and support productive investments.
Tinubu described pensions as an obligation to workers who had served the country, rather than a favour from the government.
“A pension is not a favour granted by Government. It is a wage earned, deferred and held in trust. It is a promise. And this Administration has resolved that the promise will be kept,” he said.
He added that the success of the pension system should be measured by the security and dignity it provided retirees, rather than the volume of funds accumulated.
“Above all, no Nigerian who has served this nation will be forgotten in retirement. Nigeria will keep faith with those who kept faith with Nigeria,” he said.
The President said his administration had taken steps to restore dignity, security and value to the Contributory Pension Scheme.
He also said he had approved a N758 billion Federal Government Pension Bond to settle accrued pension rights and strengthen the Pension Protection Fund.
“That was not an accounting exercise. It was an act of restitution to Nigerians who served their country and were made to wait for what they had earned,” Tinubu said.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Omolola Oloworaran, has insisted that the June 30, 2027 deadline for pension fund administrators and custodians to complete their recapitalisation remains unchanged.
Oloworaran said the exercise was necessary to strengthen institutions responsible for safeguarding the retirement savings of millions of Nigerian workers.
“We are not changing our minds. The industry must move beyond the growth in pension assets to building institutions strong enough to safeguard the savings of millions of Nigerian workers.
“Size is what we have achieved. Strength is what we now demand,” she said.
The Rivers State Government has called on stakeholders, community leaders, parents and relevant education authorities to intensify efforts to identify and enrol out-of-school children across Nigeria, stressing that every child deserves access to quality and inclusive education.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara made the call, yesterday, during the regional campaign on engaging community structures to promote the enrolment of out-of-school children and the regional flag-off of the 2026/2027 enrolment drive for southern states, held in Port Harcourt.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, Governor Fubara reaffirmed that education remains a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and emphasised the need to ensure that no child is left behind because of economic hardship, social background or other barriers to schooling.
He noted that expanding access to education was essential to promoting sustainable development, social inclusion and equal opportunities, enabling children to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society.
The governor urged participating states and communities to translate their commitments into concrete and measurable actions by reaching vulnerable children, strengthening community engagement and encouraging parents and guardians to make their children’s education a priority.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to initiatives aimed at expanding access to education, particularly for children excluded from formal schooling.
“Rivers State remains committed to supporting initiatives that expand access to inclusive and quality education, particularly for vulnerable children who may have missed the opportunity to attend formal schools,” Fubara stressed.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, described the growing number of out-of-school children as one of the major challenges confronting the education sector.
She called for a collective and collaborative approach among governments, communities, parents and other stakeholders to address the problem, stressing the need to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied the fundamental right to education.
The programme was organised by the Universal Basic Education Commission in collaboration with the Rivers State Government, as part of efforts to strengthen community participation and promote school enrolment across the southern states for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared the sum of N2.428 trillion among the Federal Government, 36 states government and the 774 Local Government Councils (LGCs) as revenue for the month of September.
The Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr Bawa Mokwa, said this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Mokwa said the allocation was approved by FAAC at its October meeting held in Abuja.
He said the N2.428 trillion distributable revenue comprised of statutory revenue of N1.672 trillion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N756.587 billion.
Mokwa quoted the FAAC communiqué as saying that total gross revenue of N3.913 trillion was available in the month of September 2026.
He said a total deduction for cost of collection was N131.758 billion while total transfers, refunds and savings of N1.352 trillion.
According to him, a gross statutory revenue of N3.096 trillion was received for the month of September 2026.
“This was higher than the sum of N2.850 trillion received in the preceeding month by N246.384 billion.
“Gross revenue of N816.872 billion was available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) in September 2026.
“This was lower than the N834.843 billion available in the month of August 2026 by N17.972 billion,” he said.
Mokwa explained that the Federal Government received N832.242 billion and the state governments received the sum of N799.872 billion.
He said the LGCs received N560.660 billion, while the sum of N236.049 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting state as derivation revenue.
Mokwa said in the N1.672 billion distributable statutory revenue, the Federal Government received N756.583 billion and the State Governments received N383.749 billion.
He said the LGCs received N295.855 billion and the sum of N236.049 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue.
The director said from the N756.587 billion distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue, the Federal Government received N75.659 billion, the State Governments received N416.123 billion and the LGCs received N264.805 billion.
“In September 2026, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), Petroleum Royalties, Import Duty, CET Levies and Excise Duty increased significantly.
“Also, Companies Income Tax (CIT), CGT & SDT, Value Added Tax (VTA), Mineral Royalties, and Gas Flared Penalty, Rental Gas Flared Fee and Misc. Oil Revenue decreased considerably,” he said.
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