The Peoples Democratic Party Young Leaders Alliance (PDP- YLA) has issued an apology and retracted its protest against Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over allegations of misappropriation of funds during his tenure as Zamfara State governor.

The group had staged a demonstration on Friday at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja, urging the anti-graft agency to investigate the minister.

In a statement released on Saturday, PDP-YLA spokesperson Muhammed Usman admitted the protest was based on “misleading and politically motivated information.”

He described the allegations as a “deliberate smear campaign” orchestrated by political opponents to tarnish Matawalle’s reputation and distract him from his national duties.

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“I was misled by exaggerated claims aimed at discrediting the minister,” Usman said, urging Nigerians to disregard the narrative.

The PDP-YLA called on Nigerians to focus on Matawalle’s contributions to national security under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The group also commended Tinubu’s nation-building efforts and urged citizens to support initiatives aimed at repositioning Nigeria for development”.

Speaking further, he noted that the Zamfara State Government is planning another protest and promised to give us 50 million naira just to tarnish Matawalle’s name, but we rejected it.

Their fear is nothing but the issue of a state of emergency, and they are doing everything possible to distract the people’s attention from it. That is why they’re busy mentioning Matawalle’s name everywhere.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has expressed worries over the escalating insecurity in Northern Nigeria.

He emphasized that the region’s insecurity has reached a critical level, requiring collective effort and unity among Northern states to address the issue.

The Sultan made this call during a joint meeting of the Northern State Governors Forum and Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna.

The Sultan highlighted that insecurity is a major challenge facing the region, necessitating urgent attention and collective action.

He stressed the importance of unity among Northern states, stating that together, the region can overcome challenges and stand firm against setbacks.

The Sultan also emphasized the need to address poverty and hardship, noting that proper measures are required to sustain unity and peaceful coexistence in the country.

The joint meeting, attended by several state governors, including Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago was held to discuss ways to address security challenges and promote development in the region.

The Governor of Gombe State and Chairman of the Northern State Governors Forum, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, called for redoubled security efforts and concrete actions to tackle the Almajiri phenomenon and youth unemployment.

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kebbi State is making frantic and last-minute efforts to prevent the planned defection of three serving senators to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, OBSERVERS TIMES learnt.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the senators: Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South), are expected to formally declare their defection to the APC on Tuesday.

This follows a high-level meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The lawmakers were led to the meeting on Friday by the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje and are reportedly set to defect alongside a large number of supporters, including serving and former PDP executives across all three senatorial districts in the state.

The move has rattled the state chapter of the PDP.

Our reporter gathered that on Friday night that the PDP State Chairman, Usman Bello-Suru summoned an emergency meeting of party stakeholders in a bid to halt the looming political exodus.

A source at the meeting disclosed that members weighed multiple strategies, including the possibility of obtaining a court injunction or making personal appeals to the lawmakers.

However, the consensus was to engage the senators directly and urge them to stay and strengthen the party at a critical time.

“Several options were explored, including legal steps, but it was agreed that the best approach would be to convince them to remain in the PDP and continue building what they’ve helped to establish over the years,” the source said.

However, efforts to reach the senators have proven difficult.

“Since the defection news broke, they have stopped picking calls from the party chairman,” the source added.

This crisis comes just weeks after the same PDP chairman, Usman Bello-Suru, issued a public statement dismissing rumours of defection within the party.

He said then, “In a swift reaction to the insinuations that some members of the PDP in the state are making arrangements to defect to the ruling party, I assure our members that PDP remains one indivisible entity that will continue to play an opposition role in the state.”

The unfolding events appear to contradict that reassurance, especially with a high-profile figure like Senator Aliero, a former two-term governor of Kebbi, ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and sitting senator, at the centre of the planned defection.

Aliero is no stranger to political cross-carpeting, having previously left and rejoined the PDP.

Some party members, however, remain stoic in the face of the crisis.

“If they decide to leave, life goes on,” a senior PDP chieftain told OBSERVERS TIMES.

“PDP is like a military barracks, soldiers come, soldiers go, but the barracks remains,” he said.

Should the defections go ahead as expected, the APC’s numerical strength in the 10th Senate will rise to 68, while the PDP will be reduced to 30.

Former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has said that politics should be centered on providing essential services and not the other way round.

Osinbajo stated this while delivering a keynote address at the Rotary International District 9141 Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on the topic “The Magic of Connection: The Imperative and Privilege of Service.”

He outlined the essential services as quality education, accessible healthcare, and a robust social security system, which he described as basic rights of every citizen.

Osinbajo stressed the importance of service-oriented leadership in politics and governance, describing it as both imperative and a privilege.

The ex-Vice President referenced Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s introduction of free basic education in Western Nigeria as a historical example of impactful and selfless governance, noting that the policy was implemented despite its high financial cost.

While recalling their role in drafting the All Progressives Congress, APC, manifesto in 2014, Osinbajo said one of the key debates was around embedding a strong social investment programme, which eventually led to initiatives like the national school feeding scheme, TraderMoni, among others.

The former vice president supports the view that a nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.

He lamented the pervasive level of corruption on the continent of Africa, emphasizing that the continent is not lacking in talent but rather suffers from the underutilization of its human resources.

Osinbajo, while addressing the elite, issued a challenge for self-reflection, urging them to consider whether their achievements were borne out of genuine service to others.

He also called for better budget prioritization and fiscal policies aimed at improving the lives of the nation’s most vulnerable populations.