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‘PDP didn’t give any special concession to Atiku’ – Maarkarfi

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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.

Business

Dennis Ekamah Isn’t Building Houses—He’s Redefining What Home Means for Africans Through PropTech

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Dennis Ekamah Isn’t Building Houses—He’s Redefining What Home Means for Africans Through PropTech.

 

The founder of coHouse.ng is reimagining how millions of Africans access, experience, and share housing through technology.

 

In Africa’s rapidly evolving innovation landscape, the most transformative companies are no longer defined by the industries they enter, but by the systems they redesign.

 

For Dennis Ekamah, the opportunity was never about constructing buildings, it was about confronting a deeper question.

 

why is access to housing still so structurally difficult for millions of Africans in a digital age?

 

Rather than stepping into real estate as a developer. Dennis chose a different path, positioning coHouse.ng as a PropTech platform rethinking how housing is accessed, experienced, and shared. At the heart of this vision which is connecting potential home owners together via resource pooling for the purpose of either Living or Growth. Simply, *Connect. Live. Grow.*

 

*A Platform Not a Property Company*

 

coHouse.ng is not a real estate company. It is a technology-driven ecosystem connecting like-minded individuals into structured communities where they can live intentionally, invest collectively, and grow within a shared system.

 

From Insight to Recognition

 

In 2025, coHouse.ng was recognised among the Top 50 Tech Startups in Africa. Even ahead of its official launch, the platform attracted over 1,000 early waitlist users, individuals eager to be part of a new way of living and investing.

 

Solving for Access, Alignment, and Trust

 

Dennis Ekamah’s diagnosis goes deeper than supply shortfalls. The real barriers he argues are access, coordination, and trust. coHouse.ng tackles all three through identity verification powered by a third party verification system api. coHouse is not flying solo without the help and collaboration with government bodies across Nigeria and other African countries.

 

In his words;

“Imagine what you would achieve as an individual or group if you’re living with the right people or like-minded individuals around you.”

 

I’m not a developer, I’m not a professional realtor, I’m just someone who sees the need for this solution based on the problem we face as youth/young entrepreneurs in today’s housing deficiency across Africa.

— Dennis Ekamah

 

Join our waitlist by visiting www.cohouse.ng

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Landmark Judgment: Federal High Court Dismisses ₦50bn Oil Spill Claim Against ExxonMobil

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Landmark Judgment: Federal High Court Dismisses ₦50bn Oil Spill Claim Against ExxonMobil

 

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo has dismissed a ₦50 billion lawsuit filed against ExxonMobil, sued as Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, now Seplat Energy Producing, in a ruling analysts say could significantly reshape oil spill litigation and compensation claims in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

Delivering judgment on April 29, 2026, Justice Onyetenu held that the suit instituted by the Ejige Ore Njenyisi Muma & Fishing Co-operative Society Ltd was incompetent and liable to dismissal for lack of jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs had sought ₦50 billion in damages over an alleged hydrocarbon spill said to have occurred on September 12, 2021.

However, counsel to the defendant, Chinonso Ekuma of KENNA LP, successfully argued that the claimants failed to disclose any legally recognisable violation attributable to the oil firm.

In its findings, the court held that the plaintiffs failed to establish any actionable wrongdoing against the defendant.

A key element in the court’s decision was the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) Report tendered by the plaintiffs themselves, which showed that the alleged spill incident was confined within ExxonMobil’s operational facility and did not impact the members of the cooperative society or their sources of livelihood.

The court further ruled that claims arising from such incidents must be pursued strictly under the statutory compensation framework provided in Section 11(5) of the Oil Pipelines Act, rather than through common-law claims founded on negligence or nuisance.

Justice Onyetenu held that the plaintiffs’ attempt to circumvent the statutory regime by framing the suit as a tort action rendered the matter incompetent before the court, thereby depriving it of jurisdiction.

Legal analysts say the judgment reinforces the supremacy of the Oil Pipelines Act in determining compensation procedures relating to oil pipeline incidents and environmental claims in Nigeria.

The ruling is also seen as strengthening the evidential weight of Joint Investigation Visit Reports, particularly in cases where such reports indicate no direct impact on claimants or host communities.

Industry observers believe the judgment will have far-reaching implications for future oil spill litigation, especially regarding the procedural requirements for compensation claims against oil operators.

The court’s decision further provides clarity for operators within Nigeria’s energy sector by reaffirming that compliance with Section 11(5) of the Oil Pipelines Act is mandatory and cannot be sidestepped through alternative legal formulations.

While K.O. Uzuokwu appeared for the plaintiffs, the defence was led by Chinonso Ekuma of KENNA LP on behalf of ExxonMobil.

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Union Bank Honoured by ASBON at Nigeria National SME Business Awards

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Union Bank Honoured by ASBON at Nigeria National SME Business Awards

 

 

Lagos, Nigeria – Union Bank of Nigeria has reaffirmed its reputation as a strong supporter of Nigerian businesses, receiving the Best SME Growth Banking Initiatives Award for 2025 from the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) at the Nigeria National SME Business Awards, held recently in Lagos.

The award was presented to the Bank in recognition of its strategic leadership in advancing the growth and resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises, through a differentiated suite of solutions designed to enable business expansion and long-term value creation.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Bank, Ayokunnumi Abraham, Head of SME Segment at Union Bank, described the recognition as a strong endorsement of the Bank’s commitment to supporting small and medium-sized businesses. He said:

“We are honoured to receive this recognition, which reflects Union Bank’s continued commitment to helping SMEs grow by making banking simpler, faster, and more accessible. Through enhancements to our specialised platforms such as Union360, we have meaningfully reduced the time it takes for businesses to come on board and begin transacting. These improvements have shortened onboarding, increased digital adoption among our SME customers, and supported the acquisition of new business clients. Our focus remains on delivering practical solutions that help Nigerian businesses thrive.”

Organised by ASBON in partnership with the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, the event convened stakeholders from the public and private sectors to recognise individuals and organisations driving meaningful impact across Nigeria’s SME ecosystem.

Union Bank remains focused on deepening its support for SMEs through customer-led solutions and processes that strengthen business growth across the ecosystem.

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