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Harris seeks to lure winnable Republicans in Fox interview

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Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was embroiled in heated exchanges in her first interview with US broadcaster Fox News. Harris said, if elected, her presidency would not be “a continuation of Joe Biden’s.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris faced a combative interview on Fox News on Wednesday, verbally sparring with anchor Bret Baier on immigration and her credibility as a change candidate.

 

The interview was her first foray onto the network — popular with conservative viewers — as she seeks to bolster her outreach to Republican-leaning voters less than three weeks before the November 5 election.

What happened in the interview?

Harris’ nearly 30-minute sit-down with Baier was a lively one, with the two repeatedly talking over on another.

At one point, Baier kept talking when Harris tried to answer to his challenges on immigration, Harris said: “May I please finish? … You have to let me finish, please.”

In another heated moment when pushing back against Baier’s line of questioning, the Democratic White House candidate said: “I would like if we could have a conversation that is grounded in a full assessment of the facts.”

While Harris tried multiple times to switch the conversation to attacking former US President Donald Trump, She also spoke about what a future presidency of her own might look like.

Just a week after saying she couldn’t name any move made by US President Joe Biden that she would have done differently, Harris asserted, “My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency.”

“Like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, and my professional experiences and fresh and new ideas.”

What did Harris say about her opponent?

Asked to clarify her assertion that she wants to “turn the page,” Harris said her campaign was about “turning the page from the last decade in which we have been burdened with the kind of rhetoric coming from Donald Trump.”

“People are exhausted with someone who professes to be a leader and who spends full time demeaning and engaging in personal grievances,” she said, adding: “He’s not stable.”

On immigration — a policy area on which Harris is seen as vulnerable, she expressed regret over the deaths of women killed by people detained and then released after crossing into the US illegally during the Biden administration.

However, she criticized Trump for his role in holding up a bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year that would have increased border funding.

She said Trump had swayed lawmakers to reject the law because “he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”

What DW’s United States correspondent thought

DW Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon said nearly the first third of the interview was taken up by a “crosstalk-heavy back-and-forth on immigration,” with Fox host Brett Baier attempting to unsettle Kamala Harris on what is seen as her weakest issue.

“Harris repeatedly tried, with limited success, to point out that it was former President Donald Trump who got in the way of a bipartisan border bill that would have helped address high levels of irregular immigration.

“At times the interview played like an assertiveness contest, with Baier repeatedly talking over the vice-president while she fought to make herself heard.

Dumalaon said the purpose for Harris was “to present the mainstays of her stump speech to those who might not have heard them yet.”

She said Harris appeared to have calculated that any share viewers still undecided, “however few,” were worth appealing to, and that she might even gain “bonus points if she can show them toughness in an adversarial situation.”

 

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ADC Strengthens Party Structure with Release of State Chairmen Names

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a significant step in bolstering its organizational structure nationwide by releasing the names of its state chairmen for all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This move aims to enhance coordination and leadership at the state level as the party prepares for future elections.

Full List of ADC State Chairmen:

South-South
Akwa Ibom State: Duke Gabriel Dick
Delta State: Austine Okotie
Rivers State: Ode Lawrence E

South-East

Abia State: Iyke Nwoka
Anambra State: Patrick Obianyo
Ebonyi State: Jennifer Adibie N
Enugu State: Stella Chukwula
Imo State: Prof James Okoroma

North-Central
Benue State: Celestine Orbunda
Kogi State: John Adeli Udale
Kwara State: Adebayo Akadi
Nasarawa State: Musa S. Shuaib
Niger State: Auta Mohammed
Plateau State: Hanatu Garaba

North-East
Adamawa State: Yohanna Shehu K
Bauchi State: Hon. Haruna Hassan
Borno State: Mohammed Bolori
Gombe State: Mallam Danladi Yau
Taraba State: Adamu Hassan
Yobe State: Alh. Kalli Umar

North-West
Jigawa State: Alh. Sanni Mohammed
Kaduna State: Ahmed Tijani M
Kano State: Ungogo Musa
Katsina State: Alh. Usman Musa
Kebbi State: Hajia Hawa Mohammed
Sokoto State: Hon. Umar Farouk
Zamfara State: Alh. Kabiru Garba

South-West
Ekiti State: Adekolu O. Moses
Lagos State: George Ashiru
Ogun State: Otunba Pat. Olufemi
Ondo State: Chief Mrs. Ganiyu Sidirika
Osun State: Charles Idowu
Oyo State: Alh. Yinka Adona
FCT: Yusuf Tijani

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Akpabio removes Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as Senate committee chair

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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced the replacement of suspended senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations

Akpabio, during plenary on Thursday, announced Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new chairman of the committee.

As a result, Bassey replaces Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose leadership of the committee had been uncertain due to her suspension.

Recall that in a minor reshuffle earlier in February, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was removed as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content and reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee.

Although no formal explanation was provided for her replacement, it is thought that the move may not be unconnected to her suspension.

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court had ordered Natasha’s reinstatement, mandating her to tender an apology to the Senate for her conduct.

But the Senate maintains it is yet to receive a certified true copy of the court’s judgement.

Natasha, on her part, is yet to tender the apology.

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Ekiti 2026: SDP slams Oyebanji’s performance, APC fires back

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Political temperature in Ekiti State is already heating up as the 2026 governorship election approaches, with the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, locked in a war of words over Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s leadership.

SDP State Chairman, Bamikole Ayodele, on Thursday, criticized the Oyebanji-led administration, accusing it of underperforming in critical sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, security, tourism, and job creation.

He alleged that the governor had mismanaged public resources and failed to meet the expectations of the electorate.

“The governor is not delivering on his mandate,” Ayodele said during a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti. “There is little to show in terms of infrastructure. Ekiti, being an agriculturally rich state, has seen no meaningful reform to empower our youth or boost food production.”

He also accused the administration of partisan governance, claiming that employment and development initiatives are being disproportionately directed toward APC loyalists.

“Governor Oyebanji must remember he governs the entire state, not just his party,” he said, urging the administration to embrace innovation, merit, and inclusivity.

In a swift reaction, APC State Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, dismissed the SDP’s criticisms as baseless and politically motivated. He described the opposition as “moribund” and its leaders as people seeking relevance ahead of the next election cycle.

“Oyebanji’s performance speaks for itself,” Dipe stated. “From agriculture to infrastructure, security to tourism, the administration is making meaningful progress. Visit the rural areas, projects are ongoing. Though the rainy season may slow construction, the development efforts are visible.”

He cited the restoration of electricity to long-neglected communities and road construction projects in remote areas as clear indicators of the administration’s commitment to inclusive growth. Dipe also pointed to the governor’s high approval ratings among residents as proof of public confidence.

“The people of Ekiti know who is working for them,” The SDP’s claim that it can unseat the APC in 2026 is not only unrealistic but laughable. They lack the structure and visibility to mount a serious challenge,” he said.

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