By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Nentawe Yilwatda and Ajibola Basiru have been returned as national chairman and national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), respectively.

Yilwatda and Basiru were elected on Friday at the fourth elective national convention of the APC held at Eagle Square, Abuja.

The party’s convention election committee announced their election as part of several officials returned via consensus.

Last week, the ruling party said it would retain the existing zoning arrangement for national working committee (NWC) positions during its national convention.

In a statement, Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of the APC, said the arrangement is contained in the party’s published schedule of nationwide congresses, national convention, and related activities for 2026.

He said the zoning formula for NWC positions across states within the geopolitical zones remains valid for the convention.

Morka advised aspirants seeking national offices in the party to adhere strictly to the zoning arrangement.

In furtherance of this decision, both Yilwatda and Basiru were returned unopposed for the national chairman and secretary positions, respectively.

The convention, themed “Unity in progres: Consolidating the renewed hope agenda,” was attended by President Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, among other party chieftains.

The convention was organised by a planning committee led by Aminu Masari, former governor of Katsina, and Anyim Pius Anyim, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF).

According to Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, about 8,453 delegates are participating in the convention.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Following the release of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, a growing number of netizens have alleged that his detention was politically motivated and aimed at humiliation rather than justice. The former governor was released hours after the news of his mother’s death broke, prompting accusations of undue hardship from several public commentators.

Among those speaking out are Barrister Abba Hikima, Stanley Chinonso, and Imran U Wakili, who took to social media to question the timing and rationale behind the release.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Imran U Wakili argued that the former governor’s detention was never about criminal allegations but was intended to degrade him. He noted that El-Rufai was held throughout the 30 days of Ramadan and was not permitted to bid farewell to his late mother while in custody.

“The sudden release of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai shows that they were only keeping him to humiliate him, not because he committed any crime,” Wakili wrote. He added that while the release—coming in time for the funeral—suggests “a little conscience” on the part of authorities, it also underscores what he described as unjust treatment.

Echoing similar sentiments, Stanley Chinonso described the former governor’s detention as politically driven. “This simply shows the federal government does not have any case against him; they are just trying to hold him down because they felt he’s a threat to them. For Tinubu, he has just saved face because he would have lost the case in court. We are watching,” Stanley wrote.

Barrister Abba Hikima offered a legal perspective, pointing to the absence of formal judicial proceedings that would typically precede a release. He noted that El-Rufai was neither granted bail by the court nor had his bail conditions reviewed—standard legal pathways to release.

“Well, none of that has happened. And Nasir El-Rufa’i has been released. Does this show there was cruelty and violation in refusal to release him from the beginning?” Hikima posted.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu have all extended condolences to El-Rufai over the passing of his mother. The messages, shared publicly, have drawn mixed reactions on social media, with some users dismissing them as indicative of a closed political circle.

El-Rufai was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a 10-count charge related to alleged conversion of public property and money laundering. He appeared before a Federal High Court in Kaduna, which had adjourned his bail application until March 31.

The former governor was released shortly after news broke of his mother’s death in Cairo, Egypt. He has consistently denied all allegations against him.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has returned home after what his family describes as a period of detention, just in time for the funeral of his late mother.

His son, Bashir El-Rufai, confirmed the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that his father had been released. Bashir characterized the detention as “unlawful and illegal,” and directed sharp criticism at the agency involved, referring to it as “one of the most corrupt agencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is a lame excuse of a pathetic institution.”

The former governor had reportedly presented himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16 for questioning. According to Bashir’s account, El-Rufai was held by the commission until his release prior to the funeral.