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Presidency unveils committee to trickle down federal policies to community dwellers

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The Presidency on Thursday, took steps to close the gaps in bringing federal policies closer to grassroots communities across Nigeria, with the inauguration of a National Community Engagement Framework Drafting Committee.

After the ceremony held at the State House, Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North‑West), Abdullahi Yakasai, said the framework will embody the spirit of partnership and collective action.

Yakasai said, “The framework drafting committee we are launching today embodies the spirit of partnership and collective action, ensuring that progress is shared responsibility.

“Our nation is at an important juncture where every decision must prioritise the wellbeing of our citizens.

“First, you will dialogue and have a meaningful conversation and action. It will present a new chapter in our nation’s history that is built on the principles of inclusivity and equity.”

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement North‑Central, Mrs Abiodun Essiet, said the framework would serve as a blueprint for action to ensure that no citizen feels excluded from national decision‑making.

“Today is not just a ceremony; it is a call to serve, to innovate, and to rise to the occasion,” she told committee members and invited dignitaries.

“This framework reflects our collective commitment to make sure no voice is left unheard, no community left behind, and every citizen feels seen, valued, and empowered.”

Essiet urged members drawn from government, civil society, and the private sector to act as “bridges between policy and people,” stressing that their task goes beyond representation to inspiring trust and driving impact.

Under the directive of President Bola Tinubu, the committee will draft guidelines for collaborative governance, inclusive decision‑making, and citizen empowerment, she explained.

Once completed, the framework is expected to formalise channels for regular dialogue between federal agencies and local communities, with the aim of improving service delivery and boosting public confidence in government programmes.

Its first assignments include mapping existing community engagement efforts, identifying gaps, and proposing clear metrics for measuring impact.

Essiet further said the committee would work “with courage, commitment, and clarity of purpose” to deliver results swiftly.

“Nigeria is counting on us. Let us rise to the call,” she concluded.

The State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, emphasised the importance of the committee’s successful assignment and its impact on communities nationwide.

Represented by the Director, Information and Communication Technology, Lukman Kilani, Fashedemi assured the committee of support to ensure a successful assignment that will positively impact the communities across the country.

A consultant on the project, the CEO at Environmental Harmony Limited, Mrs Kitan Oluwagbuyi, apprised committee members of the task ahead.

Oluwagbuyi said the committee has six weeks to draft the framework.

She explained that the framework is meant to “Provide a structured approach to stakeholder identification, mapping, and engagement.

“Create tools and templates for participatory governance at all levels. Strengthen feedback mechanisms to improve policy implementation and service delivery.

“Enhance government accountability and transparency in community-driven development programmes.”

According to Oluwagbuyi, the opening fortnight will be devoted to stock‑taking.

During this period the framework drafting committee is expected to present a detailed status report, distilling lessons from earlier outreach programmes, while other committee members will lay out their engagement strategies, successes and persistent bottlenecks.

By the third and fourth weeks, external consultants will have drafted the first version of the National Stakeholders’ Engagement Framework and circulated it for line‑by‑line scrutiny by all members.

The final stretch, covering weeks five and six, will see the committee fold comments into a clean text, vote to adopt the document and forward it to the Federal Government for approval and nationwide implementation.

The stakeholders received goodwill messages from the President of the Community Development Practitioners of Nigeria, Prof. Bello Shittu; Professor of Public Policy, Governance and Core Government Functionality at the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdulhamid Ozohu-Suleiman and the Sarkin Bwari, Auwal Musa Ijakolo II.

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PDP to screen Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday as its sole Presidential aspirant For 2027 race

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has scheduled to screen former president Goodluck Jonathan tomorrow, Tuesday, aMay 19, as the lone presidential candidate of party.

According to a statement from the PDP faction backed by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, former governor of Plateau State, Jona Jang and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi have been listed among a committee of 14 members to screen Jonathan described as a lone candidate by the party.

Other members of the committee were Chief Olabode George, Babangida Aliyu, Maryam ciroma, Zainab Maina, Josephine Anenin, Dr. Abdul Bulama, Dr. Esther Uduehi, Edo State PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, Dr. Sunday Solarium and Chief Anicho Okoro, who would serve as administrative secretary of the committee.

Last week, the national Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ini Ememobong, disclosed that former president Jonathan has successfully registered as a member of the party in the fresh digital registration exercise directed by INEC.

The PDP faction also announced that it was set to screen 748 house of representatives aspirants, 198 senatorial aspirants, and 112 governorship aspirants.

The screening committee would screen 2122 states houses of assembly aspirants. The exercise will commence tomorrow, Tuesday in different states.

According to the statement, the screening exercise would take place nationwide on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

The statement said the Interim National Working Committee (iNWC) has also released the names of members to serve on the Screening Committees and Screening Appeal Panels.

It added that the publication of the screening details “is in accordance with the party’s guidelines and timetable for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.”

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Oshiomhole wins Edo APC senatorial primaries unopposed

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A former governor and incumbent Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, along with his counterpart Senator Joe Ikpea, sailed through the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Edo unopposed, and securing their tickets without a single vote cast against them.

Also Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama emerged the winner in the APC primary for the Edo South senatorial district.

Ogbeide-Ihama won in the seven local government areas of Edo South in the results announced by the Chairman of APC National Assembly Primary Election, Muhammed Ajana at the Urokpota Hall, Benin.

He polled 27,154 votes while his opponents, Senator Neda Imasuen, got 13,580, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu got 6785.

The elections were hitch-free in Edo North and Edo Central, where there was no contest against the incumbents, Senators Oshiomhole of Edo North and Ikpea of Edo Central, respectively.

Ajana at the Urokpota Hall said the collation arose from votes cast in the seven local government areas made up of 77 wards where elections were conducted by members of the committee.

He said, “There are seven local governments that make up the Edo South Senatorial District. We have heard from the Returning officers from the seven local government areas. From the collation, the cumulative result we have for Edo South Senatorial District is this; Ogbeide-Ihama with 27,154 votes, Imasuen with 13,580 votes and Ize-Iyamu with 6, 785.

“This is the total reflection of what has transpired from the ward level to the local government and the Edo South senatorial district collation centre. With this we await further directives from the National Secretariat, we have done our best by collating the results which is our mandate, to collate the results and send them to the National Secretariat.”

However, it was gathered that Ize-Iyamu emerged as the APC candidate for Edo South Senatorial race. He claimed to have clinched the party’s ticket after defeating Ogbeide-Ihama and Imasuen.

It was claimed that the Chief Returning Officer, Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, officially declared Ize-Iyamu the winner after securing the highest number of votes cast.

On his part, the senator representing the district condemned the exercise describing it as a sham allegedly designed to favour a preferred aspirant.

Imasuen spoke while reacting to events at his polling unit in Umagbae North Ward 5, Urhokuosa where he said he was denied the opportunity to vote following what he described as a chaotic and manipulated process.

The lawmaker accused leaders of the party of openly adopting a preferred candidate ahead of the exercise and intimidating members into supporting that aspirant.

He said, “There is nothing satisfactory about this sham of election they did today and it is very unfortunate because as a loyal party member, I expected something better than this.”

He said the warning signs emerged days before the primary when some ward chairmen allegedly informed him that they had been directed not to receive him during consultations.

Imasuen claimed that some ward leaders openly told him the party had already adopted a preferred aspirant, identified as Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, making further consultations unnecessary.

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Ajuloopin Suffers Setback as Home Ward Rejects Third Term Return Bid in Kwara APC Primary

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The re-election bid of the member representing Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, popularly known as Ajuloopin, suffered a major setback on Friday after party members in his home ward, Omu-Aran Ward 1, boycotted the All Progressives Congress APC House of Representatives primary.

According to party stakeholders and observers present at the exercise, no valid election took place in the ward after members refused to participate in protest against what they described as the lawmaker’s poor performance after three consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

Sources in the ward said efforts by some political figures and loyalists to persuade members to back Ajuloopin’s ambition failed, with party faithful insisting they would not endorse what they termed an attempt to impose his candidacy again.

The boycott led to a breakdown of the electoral process in Omu-Aran Ward 1, with many members staying away from the polls entirely. Stakeholders have called on the APC Electoral Committee to disregard any result purportedly presented from the ward, arguing that no credible primary was conducted there.

Political observers in the constituency described the development as a significant blow to Ajuloopin, noting that the rejection came from his own ward and among constituents most familiar with his record.

Preliminary reports from other parts of Irepodun, Isin and Oke-Ero local government areas, where voting proceeded, also indicated weak support for the incumbent. Many party members were said to have voted for alternative aspirants.

APC stakeholders have urged the party leadership to review reports from affected wards and accept only authentic and verifiable results to preserve the credibility of the primaries. They stressed that internal democracy was critical to the party’s prospects in the constituency and warned against imposing unpopular candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

With tension rising across the federal constituency, party faithful said the leadership must listen to grassroots members and allow delegates and supporters to determine the outcome of the primaries.

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