By Adedapo Adesanya

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four others over failure to meet the constitutional requirements for political parties in the country.

In a judgment, Justice Lifu ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the affected parties, having failed to secure 25 per cent of the votes in the last general elections in compliance with the provisions of the law.

The five political parties include ADC, Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Justice Lifu, who earlier dismissed all the multiple preliminary objections filed by the defendants, ordered INEC not to allow the parties to participate in the subsequent elections, including the 2027 general polls, having failed to meet the constitutional threshold.

A group, the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, had filed the suit against the five political parties.

The plaintiff, who also joined the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) in the suit, named INEC as the first defendant.

The forum argued that the affected political parties failed to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance.

It contended that political parties were required to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in prescribed elections to remain relevant under the law.

It therefore urged the court to order the deregistration of the parties, insisting that none of the defendants had effectively countered the arguments.

This development comes as the ADC announced former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for the 2027 general election.

It said that the decision followed extensive consultations with party leaders, coalition partners, youth and women stakeholders, and representatives of all geopolitical zones.

“The National Leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), after extensive consultations with party leaders, coalition partners, youth and women stakeholders, and representatives of all geopolitical zones, is proud to announce that Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has been selected as the vice-presidential candidate of our great party for the 2027 presidential election,” the party disclosed in a statement on Monday.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reaffirmed that the anticipated Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) will become operational by the fourth quarter of 2026.

According to a statement by the General Manager of Corporate Communications Division at NCDMB, Mr Obinna Ezeobi, ahead of the target date for the park located at Emeyal-1, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State,  the NCDMB is set to install a 2.5-megawatt Com- pressed Natural Gas (CNG) power plant at the park.

He added that the power plant is one of the key steps to getting the facility operational, as it will provide a reliable and sustainable electricity supply to support industrial operations within the park.

Mr Ezeobi gave the assurance after an assessment visit to the facility by key personnel of the Board.

According to the statement, the tour revealed significant progress across key infrastructure and support systems designed to position the facility as a major industrial hub for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

It added that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme was conceived to deepen Nigerian Content by providing a conducive environment for the manufacturing of components, equipment and other inputs required by the oil and gas industry, while creating employment opportunities for over 2000 persons when fully operational, and stimulating economic growth.

The oil and gas park scheme is a purpose-built industrial park with manufacturing shop floors and factories, warehouses, training centres, mini estates, truck parking and holding spaces, fire stations, administrative blocks, and security services, among other things, and is a critical initiative of the board geared towards in-country capacity development through local manufacture of equipment components and spare parts required in the oil and gas industry.

Six parks have been conceptualised and are located in different parts of the country, and they form a key part of NCDMB’s strategy for sustainable local content development and industrialisation. Two of the parks at Odukpani, Cross River State, and at Emeyal 1, Bayelsa State, have been completed, and interested companies have begun to take up shop floors, preparatory to the commencement of operations.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A partnership for the integration of Onafriq’s leading pan-African payment network into Yuno’s orchestration platform has been entered into between the two organisations.

This collaboration gives merchants a single connection to Africa’s most expansive payments infrastructure, bringing the continent’s most expansive payments infrastructure to merchants worldwide.

Through this integration, Yuno’s clients gain instant access to Onafriq’s network spanning 43 African markets, nearly one billion mobile wallets, 500 million bank accounts, and 2,000 cross-border payment corridors, all through Yuno’s single, developer-friendly API.

The partnership is part of Yuno’s broader strategy to build a truly global platform that connects merchants to every meaningful payment method and network, regardless of geography. Following successful expansion in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, Africa is a key pillar of Yuno’s next phase of growth.

For Onafriq, the integration with Yuno extends its reach to an entirely new segment of global merchants who now benefit from a streamlined entry point into African markets. The partnership reinforces Onafriq’s mission of making borders matter less, bringing together mobile money operators, banks, fintechs, and enterprises into one connected payment ecosystem.

“Africa represents one of the most exciting growth opportunities in global commerce, and yet too many merchants are still locked out by payment infrastructure that wasn’t built for scale.

“Our partnership with Onafriq changes that. By bringing their unmatched African network into our infrastructure layer, we’re giving our clients a single path to a continent-wide ecosystem with the reliability, compliance, and local depth they need to grow with confidence,” the chief executive of Yuno, Mr Juan Pablo Ortega, stated.

Also commenting, the chief executive of Onafriq, Mr Dare Okoudjou, said, “Africa’s payment landscape has never lacked ambition or momentum; what it needed is the right infrastructure that matches its pace.

“Our partnership with Yuno changes the equation for global merchants who want to be part of this growth story. Through a single connection, global merchants can reach consumers and businesses across Africa more seamlessly than ever before, while more people across the continent gain access to the digital economy on their own terms. For us, this is what making borders matter less looks like in practice.”

Onafriq’s infrastructure supports the full payment lifecycle, from real-time disbursements and omnichannel collections to card issuance, treasury management, and stablecoin settlement, all underpinned by local regulatory licences and ISO 27001 and CMML3-certified security.

For Yuno’s merchant base, this means the ability to pay out to mobile wallets, bank accounts, or cash pickup points, and accept payments across channels, without managing multiple integrations or compliance frameworks independently.

The integration is now live and available across Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Uganda. Yuno’s clients can access Onafriq’s capabilities, including mobile money disbursements and collections, card issuance, and FX treasury services, directly from the Yuno dashboard with no additional contract or integration required.