The North-West Zonal Organising Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Aliyu M. Tukur Gantsa, says top politicians in the region have given up their political independence to President Bola Tinubu.

He accused them of doing so for personal survival and selfish interests.

Gantsa said the North-West has lost its political voice and bargaining power, adding that many influential politicians now care more about getting favours from the Federal Government than defending their people.

He spoke to journalists in Sokoto ahead of the ADC presidential campaign flag-off for the 2027 elections. He called the situation a betrayal of democratic principles.

He said politics in the region has been reduced to personal survival, defections and political calculations. In his view, ideology and issue-based programmes have been left behind.
Gantsa named several former governors he accused of aligning with Tinubu. From Jigawa, he listed Ali Sa’ad, Saminu Turaki, Sule Lamido and Badaru Abubakar. From Kano, he named Ibrahim Shekarau, Kabiru Gaya, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abdullahi Ganduje. From Katsina, he named Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Shema.
He also listed former Sokoto governors Attahiru Bafarawa and Aliyu Wamakko. From Kebbi, he named former governors Usman Dakingari and Adamu Aliero, along with the current governor, Nasir Idris.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) have strengthened their commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls in Nigeria, with a renewed focus on tackling gender-based violence and the rising incidence of femicide across Africa.

The commitment was reaffirmed during an advocacy visit by Hon. Commissioner Janet Ramathulai Sallah-Njie, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, to the NHRC headquarters in Abuja, where she met with the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Chief Tony Ojukwu, OFR, SAN.

The engagement focused on strengthening institutional collaboration, addressing violence against women and girls, improving access to justice for victims, and ensuring that regional human rights commitments translate into tangible results at the national level.

Both institutions expressed concern over the growing incidence of femicide and gender-based violence across Africa, stressing the need for decisive national action, effective legal accountability and community-based protection mechanisms to safeguard women and girls.

During the meeting, Commissioner Sallah-Njie urged Nigeria to take a leading role in promoting the swift ratification of the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, adopted in February 2025.

She noted the importance of building on the gains of the Maputo Protocol by strengthening regional and national frameworks designed to eliminate violence against women and ensure the protection of their fundamental rights.

In his remarks, Ojukwu emphasised that regional human rights standards must translate into concrete action and justice for victims within individual countries.

He highlighted institutional reforms introduced by the NHRC to improve its response to human rights violations, including the establishment of a dedicated Department of Women and Children.

The Executive Secretary also pointed to the Commission’s enhanced digital platforms, which are designed to simplify access to justice and make it easier for victims of human rights violations to seek assistance and report abuses.

On women’s participation in governance, the NHRC reiterated its support for the proposed Special Seats Bill for Women, describing increased representation in legislative institutions as an important step towards addressing the gender imbalance in Nigeria’s political system.

The proposed legislation is aimed at expanding opportunities for women to participate in decision-making and contribute more effectively to national development.

The collaboration between the NHRC and ACHPR is expected to strengthen advocacy, promote accountability and encourage the implementation of policies and legal frameworks that protect women and girls from violence, discrimination and other human rights violations.

The NHRC reaffirmed its commitment to working with government institutions, civil society organisations and international human rights mechanisms to advance gender equality, uphold human dignity and ensure the safety of women and girls across Nigeria.

The Federal Government, through the South East Development Commission (SEDC) has kicked off a $100 million gas distribution pipeline project to boost industrialisation, attract investments and create jobs in the South East.

The 400-kilometre pipeline, designed to connect gas resources to industrial and commercial centres across Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states, has about 150 potential customers identified, with projected demand of 254 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

The investment agreement for the project was signed on Tuesday at the South-East Gas Infrastructure Investment and Project Development Ceremony held at Hotel Presidential, Enugu, marking a significant step towards establishing a regional gas distribution network.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, described the project as a strategic investment that would connect the region’s natural gas resources to industries, strengthen manufacturing and unlock economic opportunities across the five states.

“The Southeast’s entrepreneurial spirit is one of Nigeria’s greatest economic assets. I have always believed that the prosperity of the Southeast is inseparable from the prosperity of Nigeria,” the President said.

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, commended Tinubu for establishing the SEDC, describing the commission as the institutional vehicle needed to realise the Southeast’s longstanding industrialisation aspirations.

Imo State Deputy Governor Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, who represented Governor Hope Uzodimma, commended Tinubu and the SEDC for initiating the project, noting that Imo’s substantial natural gas resources placed the state in a strategic position to benefit.

Anambra State Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, representing Governor Chukwuma Soludo, commended the commission but stressed that its success would ultimately be determined by its impact on the people.

Ebonyi State Deputy Governor Mrs Patricia Obila, representing Governor Francis Nwifuru, described energy as fundamental to industrial growth, lamenting that inadequate power supply had contributed to the decline of several enterprises in the region.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, Dr Mary Ogbe, said the SEDC was developing initiatives capable of improving living standards across the Southeast.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the commission had conducted technical, financial and legal due diligence before committing funds to the project, which received approval from its governing board.