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Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has reportedly resigned as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling party. Although no official statement has been issued by the party as of press time, sources suggest the resignation occurred in the early hours of Friday and was allegedly prompted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Indications of the development emerged when Ganduje’s personal aides were seen removing his belongings from his office at the APC national secretariat in Abuja. A staff member who spoke to The Guardian under anonymity confirmed, “They have removed the portrait of Ganduje from his office. Even his personal staff have been moving in and out with files and their personal properties since morning.” The source added, “We are not new to this development. We saw it happen when Abdullahi Adamu and Adams Oshiomhole were there. So we are used to this kind of thing.” Ganduje, a close political ally of President Tinubu, was appointed APC National Chairman on August 3, 2023, following the resignation of Abdullahi Adamu. His tenure faced internal resistance, particularly from the North Central APC Forum, led by Saleh Zazzaga, which filed a legal challenge on grounds that the position should have remained within the North Central zone in accordance with the party’s constitution. The suit was dismissed by the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2024. In January 2025, Ganduje was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) by President Tinubu. As of the time of filing this report, the APC has yet to release an official statement confirming Ganduje’s resignation or disclosing the party’s succession plan. Read full details here: News360NG

There was a mild drama on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja during the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, as counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, described the proceedings as “a political case.” Pinheiro made the comment during a disagreement over whether defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, could cross-examine the fourth prosecution witness (PW-4) immediately after the conclusion of the evidence-in-chief or defer the session to the next hearing. Emphasizing the significance of the matter, Pinheiro said, “This is the trial of a former governor, hence, political.” He further stressed that he was not prosecuting a regular individual but a political figure “who had even aspired to contest for presidency.” Responding, Daudu disagreed, stating that the matter strictly involves allegations of money laundering, not politics. The exchange prompted a light-hearted remark from Justice Emeka Nwite, who said, “Political? If that is the case, then those handling political cases should prepare to take over the matter.” Earlier, Justice Nwite rejected an EFCC application to “cross-examine” its own witness, ruling that such a move is only permissible if the prosecution first declares the witness hostile. The issue arose during the previous hearing when EFCC counsel Olukayode Enitan, SAN, sought to cross-examine the third prosecution witness (PW-3), Mr. Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor with the American International School, Abuja (AISA), over a court judgment admitted as Exhibit 19. The judge ruled that the EFCC could not cross-examine its own witness without proper legal basis, stating, “The argument of the learned counsel to the prosecution is misconceived.” He, however, allowed limited re-examination strictly based on pages 1, 14, and 15 of the document. Following the ruling, the fourth prosecution witness, Mshelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, testified. He confirmed the authenticity of seven sets of bank statements provided by the bank, which were subsequently admitted into evidence. During his testimony, Bata detailed various transactions, including a ₦10 million cash withdrawal made under the name Abdulsalami Hudu on May 23, 2016 — the maximum amount allowed per cheque transaction at the time. He also confirmed multiple cash transactions on the same date and identified credit inflows totaling ₦1.092 billion on January 30, 2018. The defence counsel interjected, asserting that some of the withdrawals being referenced were related to security votes, a claim not immediately addressed by the court. The witness reported a total of ₦1.968 billion in withdrawals over different dates, as well as several inflows and outflows between May 2 and May 19, 2018. Following the conclusion of the prosecution’s examination-in-chief, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to June 27, 2025, for cross-examination.