Former Senate President Adolphus Wabara has revealed that he rejected the sum of N250 million to support the third-term agenda during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

In an excerpt from the YouTube interview series “Untold Stories with Adesuwa,” released on Monday, when asked about the truthfulness of this assertion, he said, “That’s very correct.”

The third-term agenda marked a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s 25-year uninterrupted democratic history, involving a constitutional amendment bill aimed at allowing then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term in office.

Speaking further, Wabara revealed that while he didn’t believe the stories that some senators received N50 million at the time, he received N250 million bribe, which was brought to him in a G-Wagon at 1:20 a.m.

Wabara also stated that his educational background played a huge role in rejecting the third-term agenda.

“I turned down a N250 million bribe to support the third term agenda. The money came to me by 1:30 a.m., before my third-term speech. It came in a sparkling black G-Wagon. I can still remember that it was in a black G-Wagon and a rickety 504 station wagon. The money was discharged, and my wife was there.”

Highlighting the significance of the decision, Wabara stated that if the third-term agenda had stood, other presidents wouldn’t have emerged.

“Without people like us, there wouldn’t be democracy now. Yes, if we had supported the third term, you know, I mean we would have had dictatorship, tyranny, and people like Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. Even the present Tinubu would not have emerged because Obasanjo would have still been there,” he said.

Speaking on the current state of affairs in the country, Wabara lamented that those in power had unfortunately weaponized poverty.

His words: “Hunger misdirects, and my people say that when you are having leaves or whatever the goat eats, you are the person they will continue to follow. That is what is happening in our democracy today because of hunger. The elders and the politicians—those in government—are not creating the enabling environments to eschew hunger.

“It is a deliberate act to continue to make the electorate hungry so that they will continue to follow sheepishly. So, there will be stomach infrastructure before they start thinking whether we are being led aright.”

He also clarified that he was not removed from office by Obasanjo but resigned while reiterating that there was no pressure.

Tiri Gyan David, a lecturer with the Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA) in Katsina State, has been killed by bandits.

Tiri, the Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development at the university, was killed in a fresh bandits attack in the early hours of Tuesday.

An eyewitness who spoke with Channels TV said the incident occurred at about 1:30 am at the lecturer’s residence in the Yarima Quarters, Low-Cost Estate, Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State.

He said the bandits invaded the community with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically to scare the residents.

According to the eyewitness, the bandits also abducted two of the lecturer’s children.

Confirming the incident, the Katsina Police Command spokesman, Abubakar Sadiq, said the command will soon release a detailed statement about the attack.

Dutsinma is among the ten security frontline local government areas grappling with frequent bandit attacks almost daily despite efforts by both the state government and security agencies to restore peace in the state.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has fined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) N3m for violating the fundamental human rights of Margaret Emefiele, wife of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

The court also directed the EFCC to remove Mrs. Emefiele’s name and photograph from its wanted list and to issue a public apology to her.

The EFCC had declared her wanted in February 2024 over alleged money laundering charges.

The presiding judge, Justice Deinde Dipeolu, held that the EFCC’s actions were unlawful and constituted a breach of Mrs. Emefiele’s rights.

The judge ruled, “That the Applicant is entitled to the protection of her fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, right to dignity of her person, freedom of movement and right to security as guaranteed under Sections 33, 34, 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

“That the publication of the Applicant’s name and photograph on the website of the Respondent as having been declared ‘Wanted’ without complying with the provisions of Sections 41 and 42 of the ACJA, and without any valid Charge and/or Court Order to that effect, amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s fundamental rights to the dignity of her person, right to personal liberty, freedom of movement and right to security.

“As guaranteed under Sections 34, 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Articles 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) VOL.1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2011.

“The respondent is directed to immediately withdraw the publication of the applicant’s name and photographs from the list of persons wanted by the respondents on its website.”

The court directed the respondents to issue a public apology to the applicant on its website where the name and photographs of the applicant were published among the list of persons wanted.

“The sum of N3m is awarded against the respondents jointly and severally in favour of the applicant for the violation of her fundamental rights,” it added.

Counsel to Mrs. Emefiele hailed the judgment as a victory for the rule of law, while the EFCC has yet to comment on the ruling.

A UK-based socio-political group, Osun Progressives Youths in the United Kingdom (O-SPYUK), has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute Senator Olalere Oyewumi following his public admission of engaging in vote-buying during the 2023 general election.

Oyewumi, who is the Senator representing Osun West and Deputy Minority Leader, sparked outrage after a viral video surfaced in which he allegedly alluded to using personal funds for vote-buying.

The senator claimed his efforts were rejected by All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in 2023.

Tunmise Ajiboye, O-SPYUK coordinator and Deputy Youth Leader of the APC UK chapter condemned Oyewumi’s confession in a statement, asserting that the senator is unfit to serve in the hallowed chamber.

“It is clear that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is a party that has been rejected by the Osun people but engaged in illicit activities like vote-buying, and intimidation of voters amongst others, during the last electioneering period to get votes.

“We demand for resignation of Oyewumi and his immediate prosecution by either the Nigerian Police or the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve as a deterrent to other politicians ahead of the 2026 Osun state gubernatorial election as well as the 2027 general election.

“The commencement of his prosecution will also discourage vote-buying in Ondo and Edo elections later this year. We deserve better leaders in Nigeria, not those who brag about impoverishing Nigerians and later buy their conscience,” He submitted.

Ajiboye stressed that prosecuting Oyewumi could also discourage vote-buying in the upcoming Ondo and Edo elections later this year. “We deserve better leaders in Nigeria, not those who brag about impoverishing Nigerians and later buy their conscience,” he concluded.

Fear, anger, disappointment and frustration are the words to describe what has gripped the camp of the Labour Party governorship candidate for Edo, Mr Olumide Akpata, following the refusal of the Edo chapter of the Obidient Movement to support the Labour Party man.

Instead, the movement has thrown its weight behind the candidate of the central ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Monday Okpebholo.

The large splinter group of the movement has said Akpata is unelectable and decided to pitch their tent with Okpebholo, who was elected into the Senate in 2023.

The remnants of the movement have thrown their support for the state ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose candidate is Asue Ighodalo, a consummate lawyer and business mogul.

The movement pledged their support for the APC and its candidate on Monday.

The first group in the movement had also pledged their support for the PDP candidate a few weeks ago.

The group, comprising members from the Edo South Senatorial District, on Monday, said they were supporting Okpebholo because of his close ties with the people.

The development is crippling the Labour Party campaign as its campaign is not gaining traction.

The Obidient Movement is a formidable group, which emerged a few months after its National head, Mr Peter Obi, defected to the Labour Party and became its presidential candidate in 2022.

The movement which takes its name from Obi, successfully pushed the Labour Party to national consciousness leading to the victories of Alex Otti of Abia as governor, and Ireti Kingibe as FCT Senator among others in the Senate, House of Representatives, State Assemblies among others.

The movement was mostly made up of young Nigerians, some Gen-Z (those born between 1997 and 2012 also called Zoomers) gave Obi their unalloyed support and saw him emerge third during the presidential election.

Members of the movement, which is organic and leaderless, have often said their support is not to any party but to personality, which they say must be based on integrity, a word they often ascribe to Peter Obi.

But any hope for Akpata to upend the political status quo which oscillates in favour of PDP and APC in the state appears to be dashed months away from the election.

This has sent shock waves across the Akpata campaign forcing the Labour Party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Sam Uruopa, to slam the movement describing it as absurd.

Uruopa said, “It is absurd to hear that Obidient movement is supporting Okpebholo just the way some also said they were Obidient movement for Asue Ighodalo.

“The Obidient movement is synonymous with the Labour Party and is integral members of the party,” he stated.

He added, “They have forgotten so soon how the party was denied the use of the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium before the presidential election.

“So, how can these people now say they are Obidient members and they are supporting Okpebholo or Ighodalo?

“For me, they have run out of ideas and do not know what they are doing at this point. They cannot be Obidient movement and work against the party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata.”

Akpata did not react to the development when contacted at the time of filing this report.