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‘PDP didn’t give any special concession to Atiku’ – Maarkarfi
ChAIRMAN, National Caretaker Committee, NCC, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, yesterday in Abuja, dismissed speculations that the party extended special concession to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to convince him to return to the party.
Makarfi made the clarification during the inauguration of the PDP Convention Planning Committee and sub- committees. PDP Chairman Sen. Ahmed Makarfi This came as indications emerged yesterday of fresh moves by the Forum of Northern Elders and Leaders to push for the emergence of a chairmanship aspirant of South- West extraction. Makarfi said Atiku never asked for any concession from the National Caretaker Committee prior to his return to PDP.
“PDP did not extend any special concession to Atiku and the party will not extend any special concession to any other person. Atiku never asked; we conceded nothing to him and we never gave him anything,” he said. He allayed the fears of party members on the possibility of imposing a presidential candidate on them in 2019, saying “party members reserve the right to give mandate to anyone they wish to give their mandate to.” The PDP chairman expressed satisfaction with yesterday’s judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ekiti which nullified the judgment of a High Court that would have affected the smooth conduct of Saturday elective convention. He fingered a particular serving senator from the South West as the mastermind of some of the problems currently confronting the party.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, declared the readiness of the board to partner with the National Working Committee, Governors Forum and all other stakeholders in the party to ensure a smooth conduct of the convention. On the insinuations making the rounds that some BoT members were sponsoring a particular chairmanship candidate, Senator Jubrin declared that the “BoT has no hidden agenda.” Meanwhile, Chairman, Convention Planning Committee and Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has warned aspirants to the various positions of the party to keep their campaigners away from the Eagles Square, venue of the convention on Saturday.
“I Want to urge aspirants to the various positions to please keep their campaigners away from the convention venue and we believe all campaigns would have stopped by Friday. “For those who want to campaign for future elections, especially the Presidential aspirants, this convention is not the place to display campaign posters or to display their intentions. ‘’I believe there will be an appropriate convention for that. I want to urge them to cooperate with us as a committee,” he pleaded. Meanwhile, barely four days to the national convention of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; there are indications of fresh moves by the Forum of Northern Elders and Leaders to push for the emergence of a chairmanship aspirant of South- West extraction. Following a week of political horse trading and alignments; the quest of the South-West to produce the party chairman received a boost when at a gathering of PDP northern politicians recently, a case was made for the only zone yet to produce the chairman to be supported by delegates from the north.
However, things took a dramatic turn when less than 24 hours after the purported endorsement, a youth group under the auspices of Northern Youths Politicians of Concerned PDP Like-Minds, dissociated itself from the stand of the elders, stating it was no business of the north to determine who emerged chairman since the position had been zoned to the South. Similarly, PDP chairmen in the North aligned themselves with the youths, even as they argued that delegates should be allowed to determine the next chairman of the party. Vanguard gathered that the elders and leaders, not prepared to give up on their mission, have been appealing to delegates as well as party leaders across the country on the need to support the South-West aspiration. A source told Vanguard exclusively that the world press conference addressed by the Arewa PDP Pathfinders yesterday was the making of the elders, adding that in spite of the difficulty of the task, they had resolved to push on until the last minute.
He said: “The Northern elders and leaders in the PDP have not hidden their preference for the South-West as far as the chairman of the party is concerned. ‘’They believe that with the zone getting the chairmanship position, the party will be stronger going to the 2019 general elections.” Asked of the fate of the party in the event of failure of the South-West to get the chairmanship position, the source said there was no doubt the PDP would be weakened, saying exodus of big shots out of the party should not been ruled out. “People like Professor Jerry Gana, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and others are founding fathers of the PDP.
They believe in this project and if they have warned of dire consequences of a compromised convention, especially in the election of the chairman, they should be listened to. “Will some members leave the party because of this ( the South-West not getting the chairmanship)? I don’t know, but there is a possibility. When people are angry for the right reasons; anything is a possibility,’ he added.
Precision and Heritage: How Fifi Stitches Is Rewriting African Fashion Narratives
A Nigerian-born designer is gradually carving out a cross-continental footprint in contemporary fashion, blending African textile heritage with British technical discipline.
Esther Fiyinfoluwa Adeosun, Founder and Creative Director of Fifi Stitches, is gaining recognition for structured womenswear and bridal couture that reinterprets traditional fabrics through architectural tailoring and precision construction.
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeosun’s fashion journey began at home, seated beside her mother’s sewing machine. What started as childhood curiosity, sometimes jamming the machine just to understand its mechanics—evolved into a disciplined design practice now operating between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
During an interview with journalists the fifi Stitches once mentioned “I was fascinated by how flat fabric could transform into something structured and meaningful”.
In her Story , early designs made for her family, though imperfectly finished, were worn with pride—an encouragement that laid the foundation for her professional confidence.
Today, Fifi Stitches is recognised for sculpted bodices, controlled tailoring, corsetry construction, and the contemporary reinterpretation of Ankara, Aso Oke, and Adire textiles.
The brand challenges the long-held perception that African fabrics belong solely in ceremonial contexts, instead positioning them within global luxury and modern design spaces.
Adeosun’s training reflects this dual perspective. She studied Fashion Design and Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, and earned a Diploma in Fashion Design through Alison Online.
In the UK, she undertook industry-focused technical training with Fashion-Enter Ltd and gained fashion business exposure through Fashion Capital UK.
Her technical expertise spans pattern drafting, draping, garment technology, structured tailoring, corsetry, and bespoke fittings—skills she describes as central to credibility in fashion. “Precision builds trust,” she says. “A designer must understand construction as deeply as creativity.”
Fifi Stitches has showcased collections at the Suffolk Fashion Show, Liverpool Fashion Show – FB Fashion Ball, Red Carpet Fashion Event in London, and through editorial features in London Runway Magazine.
The brand has also received coverage in The Guardian Nigeria and Vanguard Allure, expanding its visibility across markets.
Beyond couture, Adeosun integrates community impact into her practice.
She has facilitated garment construction workshops, draping sessions, and introductory training programmes for women and emerging creatives, promoting fashion as both artistic expression and vocational empowerment.
Fifi Stcithes Boss operates between Nigeria and the UK, in order to continue to shape her brand identity.
According to her “Nigeria provides cultural richness and expressive textile traditions, while the UK offers structured production systems, sustainability conversations, and institutional frameworks”.
Looking ahead, Adeosun said she plan to establish a fully structured fashion house spanning Africa and the UK, develop scalable production partnerships, launch capsule collections, and expand independent editorial visibility.
Her broader ambition is clear: to position African textile craftsmanship within global contemporary design conversations—through structure, discipline, and technical excellence.
GTCO Launches “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, Opens Call for Applications
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has announced the launch of “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation, empowering talent, and supporting the development of technology-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across Africa.
Now in its third edition, the Hackathon brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs across Nigeria in a collaborative environment to build practical solutions across key sectors including financial services, healthcare, commerce and digital inclusion. Under the theme “Smart Systems: The Intelligent Economy,” participants are challenged to design and build intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform how communities engage with money.
Applications are now open, and interested teams can find full guidelines and registration details on the official portal at https://squadco.com/hackathon.
Speaking on the initiative, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, stated: “Today’s dynamic, digitally driven world demands continuous innovation, which is shaping how economies grow, how businesses scale, and how societies evolve. Through “Take on Squad” Hackathon, we are deliberately investing in the ideas and talent that will define the future. Our objective is not simply to encourage innovation, but to enable its translation into scalable solutions that deliver real and measurable impact. This reflects GTCO’s role as a financial services platform that connects capital, capability, and creativity to drive sustainable progress.”
The social coding event remains a cornerstone of HabariPay’s mission to foster creativity and problem-solving among emerging tech talents. Competing teams will leverage Squad’s advanced APIs to create scalable digital tools that address everyday challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
Through initiatives such as this, GTCO continues to position itself at the intersection of finance, technology and enterprise, actively shaping the future of digital transformation in Africa.
About HabariPay
HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.
HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.
About Squad
Squad is a complete digital payments solution that is reliable, secure, and affordable, making receiving in-person and online payments simpler and convenient.
Thousands of merchants currently leverage Squad’s payment solutions for their daily business operations. Squad’s current products and service offerings include SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Squad Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefront.
Find out more at www.squadco.com.
Electric 8-Seater Tula Moto Keke Enters Nigerian Market, Targets Higher Operator Earnings
LAGOS — A new electric-powered tricycle with an expanded passenger capacity has been introduced into Nigeria’s urban transport sector, offering operators a potentially more profitable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional petrol-driven “keke.”
The newly launched 8-seater electric tricycle, now available in Lagos with plans for nationwide distribution, features a dual-row seating arrangement capable of accommodating up to eight passengers per trip—significantly higher than the standard three-passenger configuration common across the country.
Promoters of the innovation say the increased capacity is designed to boost daily earnings for operators, particularly amid persistent fluctuations in fuel prices. By running entirely on electric power, the vehicle eliminates dependence on petrol, reducing operating costs and shielding drivers from fuel price volatility.
According to the distributors, the tricycle is equipped with a durable battery system capable of covering extended distances on a single charge, making it suitable for commercial operations across high-traffic routes, residential estates, campuses, and marketplaces.
“The concept is straightforward—enable drivers to earn more while spending less,” a company representative stated. “With higher passenger capacity and zero fuel requirements, operators can maximise each trip without the burden of daily fuel expenses.”
Beyond its cost-saving potential, the electric keke is also said to require less maintenance than traditional models, offering additional long-term savings. Its quieter and smoother operation is expected to enhance passenger comfort and overall commuting experience.
Industry analysts note that the introduction of electric mobility solutions reflects a growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable transportation alternatives in Nigeria, particularly in densely populated urban centres such as Lagos.
The distributors added that the product is currently available under a limited promotional offer, with delivery options across the country.
For inquiries and purchase: 📞 08153432071
📞 08035889103
Office Address:
📍 Plot 9, Block 113, Beulah Plaza,
Lekki–Epe Expressway,
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
As transportation costs continue to rise and environmental concerns gain prominence, innovations like the electric 8-seater keke may signal an emerging transition toward more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions nationwide.
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