General
Atiku Quits APC, Keeps Mum on Next Party to Join
By Dipo Olowookere
Former Vice President, Mr Atiku Abubakar, has announced his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a letter titled ‘Statement of resignation of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar (Waziri Adamawa) Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 from the All Progressives Congress,’ Mr Atiku explained that he has put an end to his membership of the party after due consultations.
The former Vice President to Mr Olusegun Obasanjo has not hidden his intention to be President of Nigeria and he is believed to have a similar ambition in 2019.
However, he may not likely achieve this aim in the next election under the APC because some groups have tipped President Muhammadu Buhari to go for a second term in office.
Below is Mr Atiku’s statement announcing his resignation from the APC.
On the 19th of December, 2013, I received members of the All Progressives Congress at my house in Abuja. They had come to appeal to me to join their party after my party, the Peoples Democratic Party, had become factionalized as a result of the special convention of August 31, 2013.
The fractionalization of the Peoples Democratic Party on August 31, 2013 had left me in a situation where I was, with several other loyal party members, in limbo, not knowing which of the parallel executives of the party was the legitimate leadership.
It was under this cloud that members of the APC made the appeal to me to join their party, with the promise that the injustices and failure to abide by its own constitution which had dogged the then PDP, would not be replicated in the APC and with the assurance that the vision other founding fathers and I had for the PDP could be actualized through the All Progressives Congress.
It was on the basis of this invitation and the assurances made to me that I, being party-less at that time, due to the fractionalization of my party, accepted on February 2, 2014, the hand of fellowship given to me by the All Progressives Congress.
On that day, I said “it is the struggle for democracy and constitutionalism and service to my country and my people that are driving my choice and my decision” to accept the invitation to join the All Progressives Congress.
Like you, I said that because I believed that we had finally seen the beginnings of the rebirth of the new Nigeria of our dreams which would work for all of us, old and young.
However, events of the intervening years have shown that like any other human and like many other Nigerians, I was fallible.
While other parties have purged themselves of the arbitrariness and unconstitutionality that led to fractionalization, the All Progressives Congress has adopted those same practices and even gone beyond them to institute a regime of a draconian clampdown on all forms of democracy within the party and the government it produced.
Only last year, a governor produced by the party wrote a secret memorandum to the president which ended up being leaked. In that memo, he admitted that the All Progressives Congress had “not only failed to manage expectations of a populace that expected overnight ‘change’ but has failed to deliver even mundane matters of governance”.
Of the party itself, that same governor said “Mr President, Sir Your relationship with the national leadership of the party, both the formal (NWC) and informal (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso), and former Governors of ANPP, PDP (that joined us) and ACN, is perceived by most observers to be at best frosty. Many of them are aggrieved due to what they consider total absence of consultations with them on your part and those you have assigned such duties.”
Since that memorandum was written up until today, nothing has been done to reverse the treatment meted out to those of us invited to join the All Progressives Congress on the strength of a promise that has proven to be false. If anything, those behaviours have actually worsened.
But more importantly, the party we put in place has failed and continues to fail our people, especially our young people. How can we have a federal cabinet without even one single youth.
A party that does not take the youth into account is a dying party. The future belongs to young people.
I admit that I and others who accepted the invitation to join the APC were eager to make positive changes for our country that we fell for a mirage. Can you blame us for wanting to put a speedy end to the sufferings of the masses of our people?
Be that as it may be, after due consultation with my God, my family, my supporters and the Nigerian people whom I meet in all walks of life, I, Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa, hereby tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress while I take time to ponder my future.
May God bless you and may God bless Nigeria.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The chief executive of Netnaija Media Enterprises, Mr Emmanuel Analike, has been arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).
The suspect appeared before Justice Suleiman Liman on Wednesday over allegations bordering on copyright infringement.
He was accused by the NCC of using his online platform to make movies and others not belonging to him available for users to download on the internet.
According to the agency, Mr Analike has infringed copies of audio-visual materials distributed online via his website for online users. Netnaija is an online movie and music download site.
The prosecution counsel, Ms Gladys Isaac-Ojo, who works with the NCC, told the court that the defendant committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 44 (1) (a) of the Copyright Act, 2022.
However, Mr Analike pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him, prompting his counsel, Nnemeka Ejiofor, seek his bail.
The lawyer informed the court that the application was filed on Monday and supported by 23 paragraphs of affidavits and a written address.
But the judge refused to give a bench ruling and adjourned the ruling of the bail application to Monday, March 9, 2026, ordering the remand of the Netnaija chief in Kuje Correctional Centre.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Entries for the 2026 edition of the world’s largest green business ideas competition, ClimateLaunchpad, have opened.
In 2025, the programme, organised by Climate KIC, received over 2,700 applications from 40 countries. The winning ventures gain prize money, investor connections, and access to a global cleantech network.
This year’s edition is expected to be bigger and better, with climate innovators, green venture builders, and entrepreneurs from around the world given the opportunity to apply.
Since its inception in 2014, the programme has supported nearly 5,000 ideas across 97 countries, and this year, it is expanding its presence in Asia with Singapore hosting both the regional final and global grand final for the first time.
Participants move through several stages, including an initial mini-course to refine the concept, an intensive multi-day Boot Camp led by expert trainers, targeted coaching to perfect value propositions and investor pitches, national and regional finals, and a place at the global grand final, with prizes and access to a global climate network.
“Strengthening ClimateLaunchpad’s presence in Asia marks a profound new chapter for this programme and for the climate innovation movement more broadly. Asia is where so much of the world’s climate and nature future will be shaped, through business leadership, public-private partnerships and long-term strategic thinking,” the chief executive of Climate KIC, Kirsten Dunlop, stated.
“We look forward to supporting this momentum with new business ideas and innovation ecosystem collaborations across more than a dozen countries.
“This expansion opens space for deeper cross-cultural connections and for first-time founders to turn sparks of imagination into solutions that serve both people and planet,” Dunlop added.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Better Earth Ventures, Ms Rebecca Sharpe, said, “We are proud to host ClimateLaunchpad’s regional and global grand final in Singapore and to convene an international group of climate entrepreneurs from more than 50 countries.
“Climate solutions are emerging from every corner of the world, and bringing them together creates the kind of cross-border exchange and collaboration this moment demands. Our focus is to ensure early-stage founders have the structure, ecosystem access and support needed to move from idea to credible impact.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has finally approved the use of an alphanumeric digital postcode system for the country, 17 years after it was first considered.
According to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, the system was okayed at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, in line with the ministry’s strategic blueprint.
He said working in collaboration with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the ministry will introduce a modern, geospatially intelligent addressing system that improves accuracy across the country and enables faster and more reliable mail and parcel processing.
“Beyond strengthening postal operations, the Digital Postcode System will also serve as an important national enabler supporting better national planning, improved emergency response, more efficient logistics and e-commerce, and the delivery of government services.
“As our digital economy continues to grow, foundational systems such as this play an essential role in building the infrastructure required to connect people, businesses, and services more efficiently across the country,” he said.
He noted that the approval represents another step forward in the Mr Tinubu-led administration’s commitment to building the enabling environment to support a modern, inclusive, and globally competitive digital economy.
On her part, Ms Tola Odeyemi, the Post Master General and chief executive officer of NIPOST, said the implementation is a foundational step toward building the digital infrastructure required for a modern economy.
“First conceptualised in 2009, this initiative is finally becoming a reality in 2026 under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“A digital postcode system is more than a postal reform. It is critical national infrastructure that enables e-commerce, logistics, emergency services, financial inclusion, security, urban planning, and effective public service delivery,” she added.
By introducing an alphanumeric addressing framework, Nigeria will now be able to identify locations with far greater precision across cities, towns, and rural communities.
“This will significantly improve how goods, services, and digital platforms reach Nigerians everywhere.
“This milestone reflects a shared commitment by the Federal Government to strengthen Nigeria’s digital backbone and unlock new opportunities for innovation, commerce, and national development,” she further stated.
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